Kendal Carey (left) with Major Ron Dorsey and Becky Walker.
PELION STUDENTS ATTEND MEDAL OF HONOR KICK-OFF WEEK CEREMONY
Pelion High School FFA President Becky Walker and JROTC Battalion Executive Officer Kendal Carey were special guests at the STUDENTS HONORING VALOR PROGRAM to kick-off Medal of Honor Week at Columbia’s First Baptist Church on September 27. They were accompanied by Major Ron Dorsey, Senior Army Instructor with the US Army Junior ROTC at the high school, and John W. Parris, state director of public affairs with the SC FFA Association.
The SC General Assembly had declared the week of September 27-October 3, 2010 as South Carolina Medal of Honor Week and called upon South Carolinians to participate in programs paying tribute to recipients of the Medal of Honor and to reflect on the service and sacrifice of these recipients and all members of the armed forces in every generation.
The Medal of Honor is the highest decoration awarded a member of the armed forces and is presented by the President of the United States in the name of Congress to heroes who have distinguished themselves in an action against a hostile enemy force by service over, above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of life, and whose character, courage and commitment to country inspires true reverence.
The purpose of the program, STUDENTS HONORING VALOR, was designed to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to meet a Medal of Honor recipient. Many of the students in attendance at the event were delegates chosen by the faculty of their schools but many had entered an essay contest and wrote about the character-building values of the Medal of Honor Society which are: Courage, Sacrifice, Patriotism, Citizenship, Integrity and Commitment.
Program participants included Michael A. Graham, Chairman of the SC Students Honoring Valor Committee; Colonel James R. Hill, Jr., SC State Guard and Chair of the Education Committee of the 2010 Medal of Honor Convention; Lt. Governor Andre’ Bauer; Major General Stan Spears, SC Adjutant General; Dr. James H. Rex, State Superintendent of Education; Marco Cavazzonie, vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina; and nationally known author and journalist Rita Cosby.
Patriotic music was provided by the 282nd Army Band along with renowned vocalists and a pianist.