AEC honors flag on eleventh anniversary of 9/11

Students of Cape Alternative Education Center learned a lesson in patriotic duty this morning when their science teacher, Richard Banville, a retired U.S. Navy Chief Gunners Mate, raised the American flag to half-staff in observance of September 11, 2001, now known as "Patriot Day."

Banville served for 20 years aboard fast frigates. He used his GI Bill benefits to earn his teacher's certification and has been with Cape Girardeau Public Schools since 2008. Of the flag ceremony this morning he said, "I was so proud of these students for the way they showed respect and honored our flag. I wanted them to understand that the freedoms that we have in this country should not be taken for granted. Everyone in the world doesn't have our freedom, and we should never forget the thousands of Americans who fought and died for those freedoms."

Congress designated September 11 of each year "Patriot Day," and yesterday President Obama declared, "...let us show that America's sense of common purpose need not be a fleeting moment, but a lasting virtue -- not just on one day, but every day."