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GLEN DALE -- The patriotism and appreciation of the military held by two young men resulted in a pre-Veterans Day celebration of the refurbished Glen Dale monument on Wednesday.
Glen Dale Elementary School fourth grade student Levi Edman lives across the street from the monument, and he said it has always been very special to him.
"I think about how beautiful it is," he said. "I think of my family (who have served in the military). I think of patriotic songs."
He told this to his music teacher Kathy Fox, and how he wished his classmates could experience it.
Fox and other teachers led a group of students from the school Thursday to see the monument, where they got to see the new flag poles there and sing patriotic songs alongside members of the Moundsville Honor Guard.
The event began with the youngsters reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
They next got to meet Kaden Minch, a current junior at John Marshall High School and member of Boy Scouts Troop 82. He organized the re-creation of the Glen Dale veterans monument site as part of his Eagle Scout project.
He explained where there once were three flag poles at the monument, there are now seven.
There is a flag pole for the American flag, as well as flags for each branch of the U.S. military -- the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Space Force.
Minch told the students of how the cannon at the monument had been repainted. He spoke of how the old landscaping around the monument had to be removed, and how it was replaced with river rock and rhododendrons -- West Virginia's state flower.
"Our veterans are truly special," Minch said. "When you want to do something, speak up. You can really have an impact."
Fox next led the group in a singing of patriotic songs. Among them was Edman's favorite, "God Bless America."