The Stoneman High School JROTC performed heroically during the shooting at their school in Parkland, Florida. Two JROTC enlistees herded students and teachers into a room and shielded them with kevlar, their quick actions undoubtedly saved not only their own lives but those of others under their protection.
A third JROTC member, Cadet Peter Wang, was just as heroic but did not survive. Wang ushered students into a different classroom and was killed in his valiant efforts to save others.
Peter Wang, 15, was a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where he was a member of the JROTC program.“He is so funny, caring and selfless,’’ said Lin Chen, Wang’s 24-year-old cousin.She said Wang, who was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., was wearing his gray JROTC shirt Wednesday when the shooting happened. She said a friend of his told her Wang was holding a door to let other students out before him.She said she wasn’t surprised to hear that.“He is so brave. He is the person who is genuinely kind to everyone. He doesn’t care about popularity. He always liked to cheer people up. He is like the big brother everyone wished they had,’’ added Chen, who flew in from Louisiana to be with the family.
Efforts are now being made to honor this brave young man. These efforts include a petition to make an exception in his case and allow full military honors at his funeral on Tuesday, active military attending his funeral in military dress, and those unable to attend are sending in military patches, coins, and other items.
Sarah Rumpf, writing at Red State, has more details:
As a cadet in the JROTC, Wang was not yet an official member of the United States military, and so would not be entitled to the military funeral honors offered to service members and veterans, but his school’s JROTC have a protocol to conduct the funeral service and provide an honor guard.As one redditor, HighNoon44, commented, “Peter embodied the Army values and he was our brother.”In addition, the posters at r/military are organizing two main efforts. Those who are able to attend Wang’s funeral next week will attend in uniform. The service is open to the public and will be held at the Kraeer Funeral Home in Coral Springs on Tuesday, February 20, with visitation starting at 11:00 am ET and the service at 1:00 pm ET. Full details are available at here.Those who cannot attend are sending military patches and coins to Wang’s family. For privacy reasons, they are not posting the family’s address but have a web form where those interested can submit their email address to get mailing instructions.
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