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UNIONVILLE, MO. -- It was a grand Veteran's Day celebration in Unionville.

Students, family members and Veterans took time out of their busy morning schedules to attend Putnam County High School's Veteran's Day Assembly.

The featured speaker was Veteran and St. Rep. Zach Wyatt, (R-Novinger).  

Wyatt served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and several other countries as a translator.

Wyatt talked about the protestors on Wall Street, and said there is another 1 percent of the American population that deserves attention, and they are those that are serving in the nation's armed forces.

After his speech, KTVO talked to one soldier in attendance, who returned from overseas recently after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He told us what it's like to return home.

"You can wake up, do what you want to do, eat what you want to eat," said Dean Dady, a National Guardsman from 186th Military Police Company out of Camp Dodge in Iowa. "At night, you can sleep in a nice comfy bed and you can see your family and loved ones. You don't have to wait for the internet to come on or cut you off mid sentence. "

We also asked Rep. Wyatt what's the best way to thank a Veteran for their service.

"I hope that everyone, when they meet a veteran, they go up to shake their hand and say thank you because I will say that's probably the most heartwarming thing that can happen to a Veteran is when you're thanked for your service and it's out of the blue and you're not expecting it."

At the end of the assembly, fifth graders presented their Old Glory projects, which included a framed flag with a short essay inscribed on it. They passed out the flags to loved ones and Veterans in the audience.