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CAMP POINT, ILL. -- As Veterans Day approaches, students at Camp Point Central Junior High School got the chance to be up close and personal with some military veterans.

It was part of the 5th Annual Bring A Vet To School Day.

The chance for some of the students at the school to bring a family member or friend who is a veteran to school and to share their military experience.

Today, it was 52 veterans who shared with students in grades 5-8 what military life was like and in some cases what military life is like today.

Amanda Shoopman is a teacher at the school and her husband is attached to the Illinois National Guard Unit in Quincy. She is also one of the main organizers of the annual event.

"I think it's important for these people to come in and tell us what it's really like. They can talk to them personally and not all the kids have a veteran in their life. So it's really important to them to have this personal connection here at school," Shoopman said.

There were all kinds of activities during the morning sessions. In one room there was a Skype interview with Army Captain T.J. Menn. Menn is a 2001 graduate of Carthage High School and now flies helicopters. In another room, it was Air Force veteran Roger Mohrnman and his great-grandson Conner Hughes. It was a day for the young and the old to hear more about veterans and what they've done for our country.

"I think it's a wonderful program, we're seeing more of this then what we saw a number of years ago. Where they honor veterans, " Mohrman said.

"I just found out so m any new things about my grandpa. And it was pretty neat hearing all the other guys, like what they did in the war and stuff," said Hughes who is a 5th grader at the junior high school.

Shoopman said the first year students brought 12 veterans to school with them and with more than 50 this year. She hopes the interest continues and that more students and veterans can share their experiences as we lead up to Veterans' Day.

Of the 52 veterans who took part in the event, Shoopman said nearly every war or conflict was represented...From World War Two to the Iraqi War and Operation Enduring Freedom.