When the campus gathered at Ranger Stadium today for Veterans Day, teachers and staff members sat in the area reserved for veterans.

Among them was Orlando Dona, a college algebra and statistics teacher as well as a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who takes his military philosophy into the classroom.

 “In the military, if you want respect, then you’re going to have to give respect,” he said.

Dona served for 23 years in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Germany  and 11 other states.

“There are many Americans who don’t represent the people well who are dishonest and greedy,” he said. “These veterans are so much more than these people and represent our country well.

Algebra I and Algebra II teacher, Lauren Boswell, served in Little Rock Air Force Base, Lackland AFB, Keesler AFB and Fort Meade Maryland and Oman as a senior airman in the U.S Air Force.  

Health science technology teacher Kevin Palmer, an active duty U.S. Army sergeant, also was among those sitting on the track.

“It’s nice to have a day full of appreciation,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to spend time with friends and family as much as you can before you’re gone.”

Assistant principal Dean Hofer served as an Army Warrant Officer Aviator. He earned the rank of CW2. Hofer was stationed in several places, including Fort Hood and South Korea.

Michael Mullen, commander of the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps on campus, served as Senior Naval Science Instructor for 20 years. He was deployed in locations such as Pearl Harbor, Hawaii ; Yokosura, Japan, and seven other US states. 

“If you ask people why they joined, a large plurality will say for college money, but when you do the statistical analysis, the reality is not many use it,” Mullen said. “So you can infer that it was patriotism that really drove them to do it.”