“We are so proud of the work the students and faculty put in to making this event successful” stated Lacey Tello, Alumni Director. “Students gathered information about challenges veterans face coming back from wars and disseminated it to the student body the week before, they raised $300 to support the Wounded Warriors Project, and helped in organizing the entire assembly.”
Chloe Smith and Ryan Taylor, both seniors, were the masters of ceremony for the assembly. The student body was astounded to see Smith in her full Cadet uniform. Chloe is a Cadet Major in the California Cadet Corps. Her uniformed presence and participation in the Color Guard ceremony made the assembly even more remarkable and relatable to the students.
“It was an honor being able to celebrate the service of our veterans. The long hours of preparation were tedious, but seeing how happy the veterans were with the assembly made everything worth it!” said Smith.
“We learned so much through the assembly and then talking to the veterans and seeing their reactions was very emotional,” stated Taylor.
The student body gave an impressive review of the assembly and most of the student interviews felt inspired and emotional. “It got me thinking about joining, I want to join the Marines so it really inspired me,” said Aquinas senior Leroy Vasquez. Over 30 alumni veterans showed up, and the assembly concluded with a small luncheon inside the school library. There, the volunteer students had the special opportunity to speak to each veteran about their personal experiences in war and share their thoughts.
The assembly included an Color Guard procession, guest speaker Charles Cervantes, class of 1963 U.S. Navy, and a tribute to alumni vets with a moving rendition of God Bless America performed by sophomore student Khaeryst Estrella and accompanied on guitar by senior Raymond Abrina.
The assembly was an opportunity to not only thank the veterans for their service but also to expose the students to elements they might not otherwise had an opportunity to experience. This included a Missing Man table ceremony, a ceremony commonly found in many veterans organizations which honors the over 1600 personnel listed by the Department of Defense as missing or unaccounted for.
Another element of the assembly was a special recognition of the Vietnam Era veterans as part of the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. In 2013, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation that May 28, 2012 through November 11, 2025 is the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.
In an effort to participate in this, students displayed a variety of educational information about the Vietnam War around the campus the week before the assembly and conducted a special recognition of the alumni veterans who served during the Vietnam era.