posted: November 1, 2022
Thank you Veterans!
APS schools and offices are closed Friday, Nov. 11, in honor of Veterans Day.
We asked some of our JROTC students and instructors to reflect on what Veterans Day means to them and featured their responses in the video below.
While the JROTC program, which is in all APS high schools, provides many perks and opportunities, several students say they joined because they come from families with a history of military service.
“Both of my grandparents were in the Air Force. My grandpa flew in Vietnam. He was the flight engineer on CH53s, and he also flew Hueys. I hear those stories, and they’re some of the best stories,” La Cueva High School Cadet Aiden Fried said when asked about what Veterans’ Day meant to him personally. “And then my grandpa on my dad’s side did all kinds of cool stuff with the Air Force when he was in, too. My grandpa’s dad was a navigator on the B17th, going into combat missions in Germany. It’s pretty awesome stuff.”
“Veterans Day is a very special day for me, but most important is why. All of it was done for other people, for you,” said Master Sgt. Roberto Valdez, APS director of JROTC Instruction who served in the Marines for 22 years. “Before I served, maybe someone thought I was important enough to do all of this for. And we do it to protect our rights and everything. And that’s what I wanted to make sure that I did when I served.”
Video: Honoring Those Who Served and Who Serve Today
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