Falk, 56, is a Fairfield lifer whose father, Jay D. Laycock, was a Marine who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 and died at the age of 78.
“It’s a shame I was as old as I was and I hadn’t really thought that much about Veterans Day,” Falk said. “I’m really embarrassed. After that happened, I’m now making it my mission.”
Falk, a Fairfield Twp. resident, is retiring at the end of the school year after serving 35 years as a health/physical education teacher in the district, the last 34 at the middle school.
At Friday’s Veterans Recognition luncheon for the district’s 34 veterans, Falk was presented with a plaque for her contributions to the annual event in which she plays a large part in putting together.
“Her passion for veterans goes far beyond this luncheon,” said David Foster, the district’s Support Services Director who’s a retired Marine. “This is something that’s personal for her, and that’s what’s important.”
Born and raised in Fairfield, Falk — a 1973 Fairfield High School graduate — started a program in 1999 where students sign postcards that are sent to veterans and active members of the military. About 1,200 postcards were sent out this year to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, California and Hawaii.
And on Friday morning, Falk organized a flag-raising ceremony at the middle school that featured veterans — including one who served at Iwo Jima with her father — from the Greenhills American Legion.
“It’s the least we can do,” Falk said. “(My dad) didn’t talk about it much. That generation was pretty quiet about it, really humble. The last eight or 10 years my dad was alive, he went to Marine reunions, which was really neat.”
Foster started the district’s annual event seven years ago, but next year, Falk plans to organize the annual event by herself.
“I told Dave next year he won’t have to do anything. He’s a vet,” Falk said. “I’ll have the free time and I can do it.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or smatthews@coxohio.com.
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