King High Remembers Connects Students With Veterans for 26th Year

Martin Luther King High School hosted its annual King High Remembers event on Friday, March 6. Connecting students with veterans from multiple generations, the event serves as an opportunity to recognize the efforts of our country's brave and valiant service members.

The event was founded by former teacher John Corona in 2000, who said that the idea began unexpectedly during the school's early years.

"It was strictly an accident," Corona said. "Back when I taught U.S. history, when we reached the period of World War II, I recruited some veterans from the community and invited them to speak with my classes. You could see it in the eyes of the veterans and the students that this was something we needed to keep doing. That's how it started."

Organizing an event of such magnitude for many consecutive years, Corona began relying on a deeper, more personal motivation to keep the tradition alive.

"The event eventually became a way for me to honor my father," Corona said. "My dad served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. Like a lot of people from that generation, he didn't talk about his experiences very much, especially if they had seen combat. This event gave him a chance to reconnect with that part of his life. Not only that, it also strengthened our relationship."

This year, the campus welcomed more than 180 veterans - both new and returning - from a range of military branches, from the Coast Guard to the Air Force. After founder John Corona retired, the event has been carried forward by current Martin Luther King High School history department chair Courtney Temple. Marking the 26th year of King High Remembers, the event continues a tradition aimed at helping students better understand the sacrifices made by those who served.

"I want students to understand what it took - and what it still takes - to stand up for democracy and freedom," Corona said. "The people here helped provide those things through their sacrifice."

Only juniors who are enrolled in a social studies class are eligible to participate in the event. After interviewing the veteran they were assigned, students complete a structured class project or report. When finished, students send the report to their veteran, and if it meets their standards, it is added to a school database containing every entry recorded since the program began.

For many students, the experience offers a rare opportunity to hear history directly from those who lived it.

"Events like this allow students to get direct, unedited learning," junior Omri Lavi said. "One of the most important lessons I learned from my veteran was the importance of being able to adapt. These veterans traveled all over the world and saw firsthand how people can do the same task in many different ways. If you are smart, you learn from that."

But the experience is not only meaningful for the students - the event also carries significance for the veterans who return each year to share their stories. In fact, many veterans hope the experience reassures them that their service made a difference.

"I think what veterans want most is to know that what they did mattered," Corona said. "All of these veterans sacrificed so that younger generations could have opportunities. What they want to know is that those opportunities are being used well - that students will become good people and productive members of society."

In speaking with veterans firsthand, it became evident just how much these experiences shaped their lives.

Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and Vietnam War veteran Bill Baltazar recounted a harrowing mission during the Vietnam War when his B-52 formation was targeted by 26 surface-to-air missiles. Reflecting on the event, Baltazar acknowledged how fortunate he was to survive while some of his fellow pilots did not. When hearing this, the table fell quiet.

Sharing stories like this allows veterans to see the impact of their service firsthand. When the interview wrapped up, Baltazar shook the students' hands and expressed that seeing students learn from his experiences reaffirmed the value of his sacrifices.

"You're worth it," Baltazar said.

In a world where political tension and discourse are on the rise, it is ever more important to recognize the sacrifices made to achieve the peace we reside in today. By upholding the tradition of King High Remembers, students, staff, and veterans make the continual effort to appreciate and carry on the stories and sacrifices that enabled us to live in a safer world.

"King High Remembers is an exchange of gifts," Corona said in his closing speech. "More importantly, however, veterans, do not forget that at King High - we remember."

By Erik Chen