Buckley AFB and Heritage High School Celebrate Veteran's Day Published Nov. 14, 2006 By 2nd Lt. Ryan Carter 566th Information Operations Squadron BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- More than 30 Team Buckley members volunteered to help Veterans Day come to life at a local high school Nov. 10. Hearts Across the Miles, or HATM, an organization that regularly sends care packages to troops overseas, arranged the service members to volunteer time on their day off to speak to Heritage High School's students. This is the second year service members from Buckley have helped Heritage celebrate Veterans Day. The service members gave insight into military life, sat on panels answering questions and simply spent time with the students. "It didn't matter if it was a day off or not," said Capt. James Thomas, 566th Information Operations Squadron, a volunteer for the event. "It was something I wanted to do. There was a real positive reaction from the kids." Heritage High School students understand sacrifice. Petty Officer 2nd Class Dan Dietz, a Navy Seal who was ambushed and killed in Afghanistan, graduated from Heritage. The school celebrated Veterans Day in his honor, and in honor of all those who have served this country. "The (students) really enjoyed it," said Ms. Theresa Webster, co-founder of HATM. "The event made their Veterans Day celebration. "They all treated it with respect and were stoked to have the service members there," she said. To show their appreciation to the military, students and parents donated close to 1,000 pounds of items for HATM to send to American troops overseas. Items such as shampoo, deodorant, and snacks were donated to boost morale. One classroom had a contest to raise money for the cause. They raised $155 to help defray the cost of shipping the care packages.