Teachers Honor Fallen Soldiers

Staff members honor the 13 lives lost in Kabul airport bombing

Alix Queen

Teachers in 400 hallway set up 13 chairs for the fallen who died in Afghanistan.

Blake Cunningham , Reporter
September 8, 2021

Liberty teachers in the 400 hallway paid tribute to the 13 U.S. service members who were killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Aug. 26. One of the Marines killed, 20-year-old Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, was from Wentzville.

Some of the 400 hallway discussed and decided in their group text to wear red, white, and blue to school to honor the troops on a Monday. This was something many other schools planned to do. 

“I personally thought, 13 lives were lost and only one day to honor those 13 people and their sacrifice is not enough,” Ms. Kleiber said. “They are gone and we are still here. We need to do something to honor them. There is more buzz about COVID-19 and people wearing masks than these 13 individuals.”   

Kleiber decided to honor them for at least 13 days and perhaps longer. 

“We are still losing lives because of this horrible war,” she said. “At the start of my freshman year of college, we went to war with Iraq. We are still fighting and protecting lives in the Middle East.  I have lost classmates to this war.  Many of my friends fought in Iraq and have friends they lost.”

A picture of each fallen soldier is attached to a chair that sit outside classrooms in the 400 hallway. (Alix Queen)

Kleiber and the 400 hallway teachers also put out 13 individual chairs that each had the photo and name of a soldier who died that day at the Kabul airport. 

“It is my way of honoring them and not making it about me,” Kleiber said. “It is a collective effort to show pride and respect for our military.”

Shae Earle, a sophomore, said that she really likes the design of the chair that they made and the flowers that they put up in the hallway.

“I think it’s cool that they have the flowers and the chairs set out,” Earle said. “I think it means a lot to the people over there.”

Kleiber mentioned she has former students serving in the military to protect us.

“I am here, living in my nice air-conditioned home, driving to work every day free of worry, and drinking my Starbucks; while others are fighting in horrible conditions to keep others that are not U.S. citizens safe,” Kleiber said. “One day is not enough to show respect to the fallen.”