Students celebrate service members

Ozona—Ozona Middle School students honored local service members on Nov. 11 with a Veterans Day ceremony and brunch in the school gym, where students and teachers celebrated the sacrifices and experiences of those who served.

Veterans who attended spoke about their military careers and the lessons that stayed with them long after their service ended. Ozona High School coach Daniel Cruz, a former U.S. Army Abrams tank mechanic, said the relationships forged in the military remain among his strongest memories.

“The camaraderie and the brotherhood that is formed [while in service],” Cruz said. “You go through a lot of challenges together, good and bad. And those relationships really stick out to me.”   

Crockett County Judge Frank Tambunga, who served as a heavy vehicle operator and in maintenance management after joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1980, told students that travel, and cultural exchange shaped his time in uniform.

“As soon as I graduated, I left to join the Marine Corps,” Tambunga said. “I became a heavy vehicle operator and then maintenance management.”

Tambunga said his experiences were the most memorable aspect of his service.

"I was able to travel different places,” Tambunga said. “I went to Norway, the Philippines, Okinawa, different areas of the world that most people don't get to see. So, it's an experience that you'll never forget, especially when you start meeting people from different areas and different countries that become friends. So that's a good experience.”   

Twin brothers Rico and Rogelio Estrada, recent Marine Corps boot camp graduates, performed the flag-raising during the ceremony before sharing their own reflections on service.

Rico Estrada, a vehicle mechanic in the Marine Corps, said leadership was one of the most meaningful skills he developed. 

“[There are] those times you get put in a position where you lead your whole platoon or in leadership roles that you never see coming. You try your best and hopefully they're on the same page as you are.”  

His brother, Rogelio, an electronics mechanic, agreed that leadership plays a defining role in the Marine Corps. 

“When something isn't going right on a mission or a practice mission, you have to find a way to lead that same platoon or your squad to the final objective,” he said. 

The event closed with students thanking the veterans for their service and sharing a meal with them, a moment meant to connect generations and remind young people of the sacrifices made by those in uniform.

Source Lion News