It has been two and a half years since Air Force Captain Christopher Adams was killed in a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia. But the students at Grace Day School in Massapequa have ensured that he will not be forgotten. Grace held a tree lighting ceremony to commemorate Adams on Dec. 11 and mounted a memorial plaque in front of the evergreen tree, which was bought and planted last year in his honor.

Grace School's Student Council began a new tradition last year when it decided to dedicate the tree and hold a lighting ceremony in honor of Adams, an Air Force pilot from Massapequa Park.

Complete with Christmas carols and refreshments, the ceremony not only gave students an opportunity to celebrate Christmas, but incorporated the school's decade long tradition of honoring veterans. When the students learned that Christmas was Adams' favorite holiday, they thought the tree would be a great way to honor him. And although the school is in the habit of hosting a gala Veterans Day ceremony each year, students and faculty hope the tree will serve as a constant reminder for students and the community of people who risk their lives defending the country.

As stated above, the school has mounted a permanent plaque in front of the evergreen with Christopher Adams' name on it. Evelyn Scalise, the student council moderator, said the students wanted Adam's family to know that there was a place where her son would always be remembered.

Adams' mother, Mrs. Catherine Adams, said the students' ceremony was the perfect way to honor her son. "He would get more joy out of that ceremony than if someone gave him a million dollars because he just loved kids," she said.

Adams was killed with 19 others when a fuel truck loaded with explosives detonated outside of their barracks in Dharan, Saudi Arabia on June 25, 1996. Adams, the second of eight children, grew up in Massapequa Park, attended Farmingdale High School and served in the Air Force for about 12 years. Mrs. Adams said her son enjoyed being in the military and appreciated working in such a structured environment.

"He treasured his friends, he treasured his home and he treasured his country," she said.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Adams said, she doesn't think society spends enough time treasuring those who serve in the military. She remembers a time when not one store was open on Veterans and Memorial Day, she said, adding that society no longer shows that level of respect.

"I think we have lost our way in teaching our children how valuable the veteran is today," she said. "Living or deceased they should be honored and respected highly."

The American government is also guilty of not showing veterans their due respect in Mrs. Adams eyes. According to Mrs. Adams, not much is known about the bombing which took her son's life and she is disappointed that more has not been done to uncover what really happened. She criticizes Saudi Arabia for not being more cooperative in American attempts to investigate, as well as criticizing the American government for not doing more to force Saudi Arabia's hand in the matter. Since the bombing, Mrs. Adams has worked hard to make her discontent known to government officials.

Mrs. Adams is currently working on a petition to persuade the US government to freeze any assets Saudi Arabia might have in the country.

"Hopefully we'll be able to send a message to all countries in the world that if an American person . . . is killed on your soil, you have no right to say you are not going to cooperate and that's the message we want to send out," she said. "We don't want bombs dropping. We don't want to see another life killed. We just want them to know their assets will be frozen and if we give them money, we will stop giving them money. If we give them aid in anything, we will stop it."

Still, while Mrs. Adams continues her attempt to get government officials to pay more attention to her concerns, she said the students, faculty and staff at Grace give her hope that not everyone has forgotten the important things in life. Impressed by the school's continual dedication to remembering veterans every year with its extensive Veterans Day program, Mrs. Adams said the school does a superior job in educating students on the true meaning of days such as Veterans Day.

And according to Scalise, who is largely credited with the Veteran' projects at Grace, Mrs. Adams and her family are not the only ones who benefit from the school's focus on veterans. Scalise said the students have a much greater understanding of the military because of the ceremony and the Veterans Day program and that students get to see the human side of the military, not just what's glorified in the media.

"To the faculty and the parents it's important to them because we live in a world now with such disregard for so many things and lack of respect for so many things," she added. "And when you expose kids to these things, they really rise to the occasion."

Mrs. Adams agreed that the students rose to the occasion, saying that the students hosted a beautiful ceremony in honor of her son.

"They just have never forgotten him which is amazing, said Mrs. Adams. "When you think the world has forgotten and nothing has been done, the little Grace Episcopal School pops up and gives you hope."