For Andrew Willoughby, one of the Guthrie JROTC at the Wreaths Across America event, the ceremony was not new — but his part in the event was.
Willoughby, 14, presented the POW/MIA wreath during the ceremony, then later worked with his fellow cadets to place wreaths at each veteran grave following the ceremony.
Former JROTC battalion commander, Aiden Edmondson, inspired Willoughby to join the JROTC. Both had served in the Eagles Scouts.
Cadets in JROTC can choose the class as a high school elective. Adding this elective to his already busy schedule — he’s involved in band and soccer — was a challenge for Willoughby. But he’s passionate about his involvement in JROTC.
“It shows honor, because these people fought for our freedom and died,” Willoughby said. “And I feel like we should always honor them. If we don’t do that, it doesn’t make sense.”
Willoughby’s grandfathers and a great-grandfather served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, and he plans to someday serve in the U.S. Army.
Some of his passion for remembering veterans came from an incident when he was a Cub Scout. While placing flags at Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, a family member walked up to him.
“He asked, ‘Can I have a flag, because you missed my family member,'” said Shellie Willoughby, Andrew’s mother. “That really touched Andrew.”
When he became an Eagle Scout, Andrew began working on a project called Operation Atlas.
“It was a community service project led by Willoughby to map all of the veterans of Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie,” said Shellie.
The goal was to bring the Wreaths Across America ceremony to Summit View. Willoughby map can be found at the City of Guthrie’s website, and visitors to the site can use a QR code to find their veteran’s grave.
“It’s pretty clear, if he chooses to stay in ROTC, he will be a class leader at some point, and eventually a leader in the organization,” said Senior Army JROTC Instructor Kyle Brede, who has worked with the Guthrie cadets for three years.
Brede said the JROTC completed over 1,200 man-hours of community service this year at food banks and other ceremonies such as Wreaths. Some cadets have won the presidential volunteer service medal for completing more than 100 hours of community service.
“Our mission is to instill the values of citizenship, service to their nation and their community, a sense of accomplishment and personal responsibility,” Brede said.
Brede said the JROTC is for students who are searching for a home, who want to belong and be a part of a team.
“Join the JROTC,” Willoughby said. “You can make friends, get to honor people and get a cool uniform.”
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