According to the New York State Office for the Aging, 688,611 veterans reside in New York State, which means New York has the seventh-largest veteran population in the country. In Putnam County, there are over 55,000 veterans, according to Mid-Hudson News. In an effort to connect this part of our community with students, on Friday, November 14, Putnam County Youth Bureau’s Youth Court partnered with Haldane High School’s History Club in a Veterans Day-themed trivia event at the American Legion in Cold Spring. 22 students and 10 veterans participated in this lively event, bringing together the young adults of today and the selfless fighters who bravely fought for our country. Veteran and Volunteer firefighter Aaron Leonard provided the Hall, and local auto mechanic business Thrift King Auto provided refreshments.

Junior Ryan Duncan attended the event and said that her favorite part was “getting to know the veterans and just hanging out with them for the afternoon,” and elaborated that she would definitely do this event again.

While sophomore Scout Thakur de Beer is not a member of the history club, they participated in the trivia purely for the sake of having a good time. Thakur de Beer recalled their favorite memory, saying, “I enjoyed winning, but it was also hysterical when there were three different questions where the answer was Eisenhower.” 

When asked about their feelings on youth connecting with older generations, Thakur de Beer said, “I think it’s extraordinarily important to connect with older generations. The society we live in now has this consistent underlying fear of being friends with people outside of your age group – you’ll get weird looks if you hang around with people even one or two grades younger than you.” They continued, “It keeps the older generations from stagnating, and gives younger generations people to look up to, and to guide them through adulthood and growing up. If the oldest people you know and regularly interact with are your parents, I think you should try to find a way to connect with some of the older people in your community.”