COEUR d'ALENE — Retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Tom Sparks stood in the center of Woodland Middle School’s gymnasium early Tuesday morning.

In his dress blue alphas and a chest gleaming with brilliant, polished medals, the Desert Storm veteran addressed the students, faculty and honored guests who filled the gym. He said he wonders if Americans "sufficiently remember the captivity of our fathers ... those who gave their lives, those who gave their time, those who gave their energies, those who bled, for the sake of someone else.”

He told the heart-wrenching story of U.S. Air Force Capt. Larry J. Chesley, who was shot down in Vietnam on April 16, 1966.

“They started to take fire from the ground, from the North Vietnamese. The plane was hit,” Sparks said. “The pilot turned around and said to Capt. Chesley, ‘Get out! Get out!’ meaning he was going to eject.”

Sparks explained Chesley’s ejection seat didn’t work and the pilot ejected without him.

“Chesley turned in his seat sideways to reach back behind him. There were two rings attached to canvas tethers, it was the only other way to eject out of the plane.”

Chesley grabbed the rings and pulled with all his might to eject, “but when it did, it broke his back," Sparks went on. "He was unconscious in the air as he floated down to the ground. His parachute deployed, he was still in his seat, but he was surrounded by North Vietnamese soldiers.”

Sparks described Chesley's capture and torture. Chesley, who grew up in Burley, Idaho, was a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton" for seven years. He was subjected to mental and physical abuse at the hands of his captors. He received only a few letters from home, but because he was unable to respond, his wife remarried before he could let her know he was still alive.

“He came home to his family, but he had no family because his wife had remarried and his children had a new father,” Sparks said. “Think about how that would be — to actually be alive and not really have those who you loved, as close to you as they once were.”

Sparks, who is a detective and officer with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department as well as Woodland's School Resource Officer, became choked with emotion as he spoke to his reverent audience.

“When (Chesley) was interviewed about his experiences, the common question that was asked to him and many other veterans was, ‘How did you survive?’"

“He told a story that is very difficult to tell,” Sparks said, pausing when his voice broke. “He said, ‘My friends and I, every day, when we got up in the morning, we turned in the direction of our country, and our flag, and we pledged our allegiance to our country and our flag and our presidents. We were American fighting men, and we were proud of it. We would come home with our honor, or we wouldn’t come home. It was as simple as that.’ I’ll never be able to forget those words. I try to live up to them myself, but it is very difficult from time to time. But those words I’ll never forget.”

Woodland's Veterans Day assembly included a few brief student presentations, a sparkling rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by the Woodland orchestra and band, patriotic harmonies by choir students, a presentation of the colors by Post Falls American Legion Post 183 and a touching rendering of taps played by eighth-grader David Durrant.

“When I started playing, I just thought about the military. It really helped me and I got through it all,” David said. “I am a Scout and I am the bugler for my troop, so it means a lot to be able to play today.”

The program also included a short film. The gym went completely dark as everyone turned their attention to the projector screen, where a collection of footage played — military units in formation, war reenactments, helicopters and troops landing in foreign countries, ticker tape parades, eagles soaring, the moon landing and other images that make an American’s heart swell with pride and gratitude.

“This is a way for us to respectfully honor their service and the service of these men and women that are in our community,” said Woodland's vice principal, Trayce Hemenway. “We just want to say that we honor and we truly thank them for giving us the freedom of this great country. There are no words we can express that say (how much) the students of Woodland really do respect and honor our veterans.”

U.S. Navy submarine service veteran Jerry Parker of Coeur d'Alene was among the invited and honored guests. He served 28 years in the military between the Reserves and active duty beginning in 1969. He said he was impressed by the Veterans Day assembly.

“It was great, it was really good, and the orchestra, man, wow,” Parker said. “The whole ceremony was really put together nice.”

He said a veteran's sacrifice is the biggest reason we celebrate Veterans Day today.

“They were quiet, they were listening and it’s something they need to know,” he said of the Woodland students. "The sacrifice that the veterans made so they can have Veterans Day — that would be the big one.”