Students become familiar with military, police and firefighting equipment

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — People gathered outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids on Friday to remember and honor those who served.

Vintage Armed Forces Thanksgiving Dinner was held as part of National Military Appreciation Month.

High school students and business owners were able to get up close and personal with military and police equipment, from helicopters and Humvees to bomb disposal equipment. Members of the military, the Grand Rapids Fire Department and the Grand Rapids Police Department, who brought their horses and a K-9 unit, were on hand to explain how everything worked.

Organizers say the event is a great way to educate each other and honor and commemorate those who served.

“Having the opportunity to give the public, especially students, the opportunity to see, touch and interact can always make an impact when they actually see what our taxpayer dollars are funding,” Paul Ryan, retired Navy captain and president of the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, said.

Brody Woodwyk, a senior at Caledonia High School, attended the luncheon and received an award for a project he is working on. He raised $11,000 to create an interactive television in the school’s Fine Arts Center. The faces of veterans will appear on the screen, and students will be able to learn more about their service and background. It’s not finalized yet, but he said it should be early next school year.

“I think it’s important to remember that our veterans and Caledonia High School have needed something like this and have for some time,” Woodwyk said.

During the event, students could listen to many speakers, and at 11:00 a military helicopter took off from Ah-Nab-Awen Park