Bulldog Company stages Salute to the Military
Led by retired U.S. Navy Commander Brad Davis and retired Navy Chief Bob Richardson, Ramona High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets staged the eighth annual Salute to the Military in the school’s Performing Arts Wing Saturday evening.
“We will be honoring the brave men and women of our nation, including those from Ramona, with their inspirational stories and testaments,” said Davis.
Third-year cadet Emma Hopperton served as master of ceremonies as the cadets presented the program, which included everything from the
origin of Veterans Day and recognition of veterans in the audience to setting the watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Solder and naming
every Ramona fallen hero — starting with U.S. Army Pfc. Oscar F. Green, who was killed in action during World War I, to U.S. Army Pfc. Michael R. Jarrett, killed in action in Iraq five years ago.
The evening’s guest speaker, Tony Dunkailo, a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and a former Ramona Unified School District Board member, read “It’s the Veteran,” ending with, “The only thing harder than being a veteran is loving one.”
Cadet Wesley Richardson sang “Arlington” as slides showed photos of many who are buried in that national cemetery, and the cadets held a silent auction to benefit the program.
In a dramatic finale to their Salute to the Military, the cadets asked the audience to join them in singing Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an
American.” They spread a U.S. flag measuring 20 feet by 30 feet from the top of the stage toward the audience. The silhouettes of four cadets showed through the flag as cadets and guests sang.
Ramona High’s NJROTC has 135 cadets this year. Leading them are Davis, who joined the unit this year, and Richardson, instructor for the
past 10 years.
The unit, dubbed Bulldog Company, will be at La Habra High School on Saturday, Nov. 14, for its first field meet of the school year.