The annual national event honors those who fought in wars in order to preserve freedom and to protect our country.
The school’s JROTC army instructor ,Sgt. Maj. Joaquin O. Kiyoshi, said this was not their first time to participate in a Veterans Day ceremony.
“We’ve been doing this every year for as long as I can remember,” he said. “Today, we have about 20 cadets helping out with the event. They were very grateful and excited to be helping out because it’s a way of thanking veterans.”
The commander of the four-member color guard team, Cadet Command Sgt. Maj Derick Dela Cruz, said this was his first time to present colors at an event “with so much significance to our people and our history.”
It was the also a first time experience for the rest of the team which consisted of Cadet Sgt. Maj. Jason Arriola, Cadet Sgt. 1st Class Dave Lizama, and Cadet 2nd Lt. PM Mailo.
“We were a bit nervous but we had lots of practice prior to the event,” Lizama told Variety in an interview. “We feel honored to have been a part of this event.”
Almost 3,000 American soldiers perished on Saipan during the battle that took place from June 14 to July 9, 1944.
