On Friday, Nov. 11, Camas School District, like most districts nationwide, had no classes in observance of Veteran’s Day, to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Veterans as well as civilians across the country use this day to remember not only their own service, but also the sacrifices of their fellow veterans. Camas High School (CHS) is home to several teachers and staff members who have served and been shaped by their experiences. 

English teacher Tom Sawyer has taught at CHS for 19 years, but prior to teaching, he served in the US Army’s Ranger School, motivated by its rigorous training. 

“I chose Ranger Battalion because I knew it was hard, and I thought ‘I won’t want to stay’…so then I got out and the Army paid for me to go to school,” Sawyer said. 

Sawyer didn’t just learn the value of hard work from his time in the Army, however.

“We were big on expectations… and I try to have expectations of my students, which leads to people learning themselves about the importance of individual accountability.”

Sawyer, as a very tenured teacher, imparts advice to his students from the intense training he endured in the Ranger School.

“I tell them before we do speeches about my first time jumping out of an airplane… it’s really freaky the first time but it’s like giving a speech in front of a bunch of people. Once you’ve done it, you’ve done it, and that’s the end of it.” Sawyer said. 

Statistics instructor Kealey Sitler served in the Air Force for six years, the time during which she learned the importance of adaptation. 

“In the Air Force we say ‘flexibility is the key to air power’ and I think it’s kind of the same thing in education. You can’t be lazy or lackadaisical, but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.”

Their experience expanded not only their skills, but their knowledge of the world.

“It makes you more open-minded…it opens your eyes to different people, different cultures, different experiences,” Sitler said. 

The forces, of course, involve a lot of traveling. 

“I’ve been to South Carolina, Kansas, Washington…Korea, Japan, Iraq, a little bit of all over the place.” said student teacher Pamela Deville.

Though Sawyer and Sitler both found their paths in teaching after their military careers, that is not always the case. 

“That moment when a soldier doesn’t understand something, and they get that ‘ah-hah’ moment and they finally achieve what they’re working at, that has been the best experience in the military and what’s driven me to teach,” Deville said.

This Veteran’s Day, one can be grateful not only for these veterans’ service in the Armed Forces, but for the skills they have accumulated from their service that have helped shape them as educators.