Last week, on Feb. 14, three Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) cadets were killed during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The shooter killed 17 people and injured several others.
Those three cadets have since been given the Medal of Heroism by the U.S. Army. There is now also a petition circulating that asks Congress to give one of the cadets, Peter Wang, full military honors and a proper military burial for his actions during the shooting.
Peter Wang died in his JROTC uniform helping others escape the gunfire at the school. He held the door open for other students trying to escape the firing bullets.
Last week, a petition was created to see that Wang receives a full honors military burial.
The petition states: “He was a JROTC Cadet who was last seen, in uniform, holding doors open and thus allowing other students, teachers and staff to flee to safety. Wang was killed in the process. His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area. Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had nearly 65,000 of the 100,000 required signatures in order for the White House to respond and Congress to possibly consider it.
Wang was also posthumously admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point Class of 2025, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Brittany Wallman (Twitter)
Capt. Shahin Uddin will provide Wang’s family with the letter of admission, West Point alumni Chad Maxey told the Sun-Sentinel.
The other two JROTC cadets who were killed are Alaina Petty and Martin Duque.
An Army spokesperson told the Daily Beast that the Medal of Heroism was presented to the family of Alaina Petty during a memorial service on Monday. The family of Peter Wang was expected to be presented with the medal during a memorial service held Tuesday. Martin Duque’s family will be presented with the medal on Saturday.
Cadets whose performance “involved the acceptance of danger and extraordinary responsibilities” are awarded the Medal of Heroism, according to the Daily Beast.
Duque, Wang and Petty were among three of 17 people killed by former JROTC member and ex-student Nikolas Cruz during last week’s school shooting.
On Monday morning, about 1,500 people attended the funeral of Alaina Petty, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
“It’s impossible to sum up all that Alaina is and all that she means to her family and friends,” Alaina’s father, Ryan Petty, told the Sun-Sentinel.
“You could not escape her innate sense right and wrong, but you never felt that she was judging you,” he added. “She just wanted to be your friend.”
Martin Duque’s older brother, Miguel, set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs. The page has raised nearly $40,000 of its $10,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.
“He was a very funny kid, outgoing but sometimes really quiet,” Miguel wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He was sweet and caring and loved by everyone in his family. Most of all, he was my baby brother. My family and I have no words to describe the what we feel and the tragedy that we are living. All my prayers to the ones we lost and everyone who lived this horror and is traumatized. My family and I appreciate any help you can give. R.I.P Martin Duque
