North High Honors Veterans in Heartfelt Ceremony
Veteran’s Day came early this morning at North High School. And, from the star spangled banners waving in the brisk breeze outside to the uniforms (olive drab fatigues and sharply creased dress blues) indoors, the place was properly decked out for the occasion.
Since November 11 falls on a Sunday this year and Major Sean Quinlan, the fired up new head of North’s Junior ROTC program, was so eager to launch an annual observance of the occasion at the school, today was the designated day.
Veterans from all across the community were invited to the ceremony, an all-school assembly in the auditorium. Fifty or so showed up and each of them was escorted to their seat by a JROTC member. They listened to a welcoming salute from North Principal Matt Smith. “I get to come to work daily with the best students and the best staff,” Smith told the vets. “And today we get to honor the best Americans. Some things transcend the importance of time spent in the classroom and this assembly is one example of that.”
According to Major Quinlan there are 160 students in the North JROTC program out of a population of approximately 1,200, roughly 13% of the student body. They are not obligated to military service upon high school graduation but some, such as senior Commanding Officer Dylan Brandon, do choose to enlist. Others go on to college and continue with ROTC at that level which does include both scholarship opportunities and a service obligation upon graduation.
Quinlan is recently retired from a 26 year career in the Marine Corps. This is his first year in charge of JROTC at North and Smith, his commander-in-chief though not a veteran himself, describes him as “the best; first-rate.” Making a special point to observe Veteran’s Day at North was Quinlan’s idea. He may be the only man on campus with a handshake that can rival Smith’s.
Today’s observance at North snapped with military precision and protocol. One cadet from each class read their reflective essay about patriotism: freshman, Eli Repp; sophomore, Alexis Armstrong; junior, Hunter Adrian and senior, Griselda Sandoval. An American flag that flew at Iwo Jima was prepared for presentation while senior Angeline Marsh narrated the process with an explanation of what each of the 13 crisp folds symbolizes. And no, they do not represent the original 13 colonies. That flag was then awarded to Robert Almond, a WWII vet in attendance who served in the South Pacific.
Viet Nam vet Merlyn Pahl was also there and grateful for the invitation. “This is the first time since I returned from Viet Nam that I’ve been honored and acknowledged like this,” he said. “It meant a lot to me.” Pahl’s grandson, Tommy Russell III, is an ROTC senior at North.
A moving video was played that featured the war memorials in Washington D.C. and the song of each of the four major service branches was played before the honored guests were escorted out to a reception in the school cafeteria.
The program began with a shared Pledge of Allegiance that essentially went on for another 45 minutes. It was the sort of thing that too many people don’t believe happens anymore in public schools. Coming so soon on the heels of an Election Day that left a divisive taste in the mouths of some, North’s celebration of service to country rang especially unifying.
Quinlan’s objective was to identify and communally thank as many military veterans as possible. Mission accomplished, Major. Carry on!