ROYAL CITY - Royal High School and Royal Middle School students honored military veterans with an assembly last Friday, just ahead of Veterans Day today, which is a day off from school.

The assembly included the pledge of allegiance, stirring music and an uplifting speech by Gold Star Father Patrick Pace of Brawley, Calif. His son Scott, a U.S. Army captain, died in Afghanistan.

Also present was Gold Star Mother Susan Fazzari of Walla Walla.

Her son Mat, a U.S. Army lieutenant, was piloting a helicopter that also carried Pace when it was shot down by enemy fire.

"The assembly was quite emotional for me," said Katie Allred, who led the organizing of the assembly.

The honored veterans in attendance included:

Lee Irwin Navy; Natalie Anderson Army; Wayne Brown Air Force; Pat Hoyt Marines; Pat Lee Sr. Army; Darrell Martindale Army; Richard Rex Navy; Norman Stakkeland Navy; Mark Stevenson Army; Bob Whitaker Air Force; Dwaine Forester Navy; Deuane Spencer Air Force; John Trepanier Marines; Andrew Perkins Air Force; Dave Jaderlund Army; Jodi Conrad Air Force; Frank Corpus Army; Cliff Thompson; Rick Kannely Air Force; Scott Sandberg Army; Ted Escobar Air Force; John Lasen Air Force; Ray Neff Army; Ken Uptain Army; and Reggie Whitehurst Air Force.