Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

With Memorial Day approaching, many are taking time to recognize those who’ve served. 

The award-winning George Rogers Clark High School JROTC squad was no exception, being sure to do so in a unique way. 

On Wednesday, May 21, JROTC members gathered at Winchester Cemetery to pay their respects to those who served by planting American flags, giving a salute, and more. 

“We do a flag placement here at the Winchester Cemetery twice a year. We do it once preceding Veterans Day, and the second time…we do it right now before Memorial Day to honor all the fallen veterans buried here,” said Master Sergeant Larry Lee.

Though inclement weather brought down attendance somewhat, over 20 students made the trip to the cemetery to participate. 

They were presented with information beforehand on what to look for to identify a veteran’s grave and what actions to take. 

“Many of them [have] the markings on the tombstone itself. It’ll have…their rank and the cadets should be able to recognize the rank from all the branches,” Lee said. “The VA marker that a lot of them have…[is] like a foot locker for a lot of these grave sites…we want to place [the flag] by the headstone [approximately] six inches in front of and six inches to the right of the headstone.” 

XO Commander Joshua Collins, an incoming senior, was one cadet who partook in the day’s event. 

“My friend invited me to go [to] King’s Island, but I feel like this is more important,” he said. “It’s just so important that we keep these people in our memories [and] they don’t get forgotten.” 

Another student, incoming senior and Battalion Commander Rori Cooper explained how leadership worked with younger cadets. 

“Our leadership positions throughout the battalion have taken different groups of students to their assigned sections,” she said. “We’re just telling them how to do it [and] what sections to go to.” 

Lt. Colonel Thomas Krupp expressed gratitude for community support. 

“We greatly appreciate…the cemetery and the administration here…that provides the flags [and] that want us to come out here and do it,” he said. “It’s just a spectacular thing that this community does.”