By Jesus Tirado | Photos by Francisco Turrubiates |
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11thmonth of 1918 the Great War ended. Those who fought in it might not be physically present, but are still present in our hearts and are celebrated each Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. On campus, JROTC commemorated our veterans at a special ceremony after school.
“I feel very proud to have served in the Army, and so delighted to have JROTC honor us,” science teacher Mary Beth Parker said. ” It was a memorable moment.”
Parker was in JROTC since high school and college and then joined the Army; she was a transportation officer “Platoon leader” in which she moved equipment. When she was about to join the Gulf War she got sick and got out of the Army. Parker said she felt awesome to have served in the Army but guilty that she didn’t go to the Gulf War.
After getting out of the Army, she became a physics high school teacher at Roosevelt. The Army gave her the skills to become a successful high school teacher.
Each veteran who works at the school was recognized at the ceremony.
“It felt awesome to show our appreciation to our veterans for their service,” junior Jaycob Davila said.
Davila has been in JROTC for three years and is looking forward to joining the Army in the future. He is a first-sergeant in the ranks and his job is to help his cadets in step when they march and make sure they are ready and prepared for anything. He said he felt great admiration and respect when they raised their hands to salute our veterans.
Veterans who attended the ceremony were given blue ribbons, button pins, and a small U.S. flag. JROTC practiced for weeks to be the best they could to honored our veterans. The ceremony was featured on local news stations as well.
