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ELDON, IOWA -- Across the Heartland, students recognized veterans and their service in honor of Veterans Day. Those in the Cardinal School District showed their appreciation with a special ceremony Monday afternoon.

Students from preschool to high school attended the ceremony, along with a packed gym full of veterans, their families and community members.

The Cardinal band and choir performed several songs, including "Salute to America's Finest", during which each branch of the military was honored.

The veterans present at the ceremony say its important to not only recognize those who have served, but remember those who have passed.

"To me, it is mostly thinking of our veterans that's already passed on and trying to help their kinfolks and thinking of them and everybody that we should be thinking of," said Ward Ransford, State Judge Advocate for the VFW.

Having the ceremony attended by students of all ages shows the amount of appreciation and dedication to our veterans. Allen Morrison, a former Staff Sergeant with the United States Marine Corps, said one of the best ways to thank a veteran is to honor them on Veterans Day.

"Come to things like this, yes," he said. "And give a person a hand, if they need it. These people, strangers, they come up and shake my hand and it's great... this was very much appreciated."

The featured guest speaker Monday was Cardinal graduate and Air Force veteran Roger Davis.