Shawn Percival (right), a member of the Silver Bluff High School Navy JROTC unit, looks over a pin given to his grandfather G.B. Percival, a World War II veteran, during the school's Veterans Day celebration. RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

For 48 years, the Rev. Benner wanted to speak about the young men who went off to the Korean War with him. He was 17 years old, almost 18, when he left basic training for the unknown overseas.

On Thursday, the Rev. Benner told a crowd at Silver Bluff High School's Veterans Day celebration how he held up another young man so his head would not lay in the mud as he died.

"Many of these veterans had never kissed a girl. They were virgins," he said. "But they soon had a real education of maturity. When you hear agonizing screams all around, you mature quick."

More than 300 Aiken County veterans reserved seats prior to the ceremony. Sixteen of those were Korean War veterans and were honored with gold lapel pins.

"It doesn't seem like it's been 50 years," said Korean War veteran William Joiner. "Then again it seems like 100."

The Rev. Benner asked students sitting in the gym's bleachers to ponder the young soldiers who never had the chance to grow up.

Aiken County's Roll of Honor was called, naming those killed during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and Lebanon.

As students arrived for the morning ceremony, red paper poppies were passed out with a veteran's name attached to each one. As the names were called out, veterans, students and faculty squeezed out of seats in the packed bleachers and walked to the center of the gym to place the poppies in Styrofoam wreaths.

The veterans left the gym first in a cadence of cheering and clapping.

Junior Chris Austin said it touched his heart.

"It made you think about how much is actually (sacrificed) for our individual freedom," Mr. Austin said.

Reach Carly Phillips at (803) 648-1395 or carly.phillips@augustachronicle.com.