Patriotism was on display during the annual Veterans Day program hosted by West Side Elementary at the Picayune School District auditorium on Tuesday.

Each grade, from kindergarten to sixth, showed their appreciation to the veterans in the community through various musical performances that included streamers, battery operated candles and heart-shaped American flags.

Between the performances, Picayune Memorial High School’s JROTC presented the colors of the five branches of the military. Around 25 to 30 veterans stood at the front of the auditorium with their flag when each branch’s anthem played as the crowd cheered in applause.

One of the veterans in attendance was Billy Galloway, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1960 to 1964. Now he’s a pastor at Central Baptist Church in McNeill. Galloway said it was an honor to serve the country and now have the chance to attend a program honoring veterans.

“This program is great for our community,” Galloway said.

Michael Butler served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 22 years. When asked about his time serving, Butler said, “Like anything else, you just do it and it becomes a way of life and that’s what you do. It’s not always the American flag and apple pie. There’s a lot of rough spots.”

He added he’s thrilled schools in the city are fostering a sense of appreciation for the U.S. veterans in the community.

His wife, Rhonda, is the music teacher at West Side Elementary. She’s directed the Veteran’s Day program for the past four years.

“I usually start picking the songs over the summer and the students start practicing in August,” Rhonda said.

During the program, students performed songs such as “God Bless America,” “On This Veterans Day,” “Oh, I Love America” and “Bless Our Troops.”

Rhonda said it always takes effort to host a program of this magnitude. She, along with school officials, teamed up to ensure every student knew their part on the day of the performance.

Rhonda said she’s proud of her students for always “going above and beyond.”

“It’s always fulfilling to teach students and watch them perform, but we want to get across to them how important veterans are in the community and what freedoms are given to them because of those veterans,” Rhonda said.