Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012 1:02 AM CST

Thirty-five Yankton Middle School (YMS) students and teachers gathered in front of their friends and coworkers on Friday to help Larry Zimmerman make a point.

Zimmerman, the South Dakota state Command Sergeant Major, brought the students and teachers to the front of the gym to show the audience how many South Dakota soldiers have been killed in the line of duty over the past 11 years.

“I think it’s important for young adults like the students here to know the sacrifices so many people made for them to have their freedoms,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman became the seventh state command sergeant major of the South Dakota Army National Guard in 2009. As part of his duties, he serves as the adjutant general’s personal advisor on all enlisted matters, with a special emphasis on soldier issues and training. Zimmerman also acts as an advocate and representative for more than 3,400 soldiers from South Dakota.

In addition, he also visits soldiers and listens to their concerns and observes training across the state. He travels wherever soldiers are in South Dakota, or overseas to ensure their needs are being met.

“My main thing as a sergeant major in the state is to remind people that we still have service members serving in the state and abroad, and that we need to be thinking about them and praying about them on a daily basis,” Zimmerman said.

In addition to Zimmerman talking to the students and veterans in the audience, the program also included patriotic performances by the band, choir and orchestra. The Yankton Veteran’s of Foreign Wars and American Legion presented the colors for the ceremony. There was also a video tribute that played which honored the veterans of Yankton Middle School students and faculty.

“Being here and being seated in the gym today, kids will have a strong impact and will get a lot out of the ceremony,” YMS Principal Todd Dvoracek said. “Members of the choir, band and orchestra are performing songs. One of the songs the choir performed had each branch of the military stand up and the audience cheered to recognize them. Kids will have a good learning day from this. From hearing the music to listening to Zimmerman speak and mingling with the visitors we have, I think this will have a big impact on them.”

Dvoracek added that the social studies department at YMS implemented a few lessons to go along with the curriculum and the Veteran’s Day ceremony at the school.

“To get all these people included and to have the community come in, it’s a really emotional day. We’re very grateful to have everyone come join us,” he said. “It’s hard work for everyone involved. But we want to show support for veterans in the community and have them be recognized as well.”

Zimmerman said he was honored to have the opportunity to speak to students and veterans in attendance.

“Words can’t express how much it means to me to speak today. YMS puts on a program that’s unbelievable and I think it’s matched by no other ceremony across the state,” he said. “They do an excellent job.”

He told the audience our veterans and active military are trying to give people around the world the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, and that men and women have fought for more than 237 years for us to enjoy the freedom we have here today.

“We are all the beneficiaries of their determination to protect us,” he told the audience.

Zimmerman said he hopes the students and audience remember his demonstration over everything else he said during his speech.

“I hope the kids remember that numbers are important and people make sacrifices for the kids to do what they do today,” he said. “I love to get the message out about the sacrifices people have made for all of our freedoms.”

Dvoracek added that people in the audience should be proud of the veterans and the active military.

“If you’re not a proud American sitting at Yankton Middle School today, there’s something wrong,” he said.

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