Page 14 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior 6-3-16

High Desert Warrior www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin

14 June 3, 2016
Your Community

A soldier’s sendo : Ft. Irwin Commander
addresses Silver Valley High grads

By Jose Quintero education, 52 of you graduates have plans to start

Sta Writer school in the fall, six of you are going to enlist in Jose Quintero, Desert Dispatch
BARSTOW — Cheers and the sounds of our great military and others will be transitioning
blasting confetti bombs were rampant at inside immediately into the workforce. Any way you look Emily Lamonte poses for a picture after turning her tassel with her fellow Silver Valley
the Barstow Community College gymnasium for at it, you have your whole lives ahead of you. High School graduates on Tuesday night. The school held its commencement ceremony
the 2016 Silver Valley High School graduation inside the Barstow Community College gymnasium.
ceremony on Tuesday night. “You’ve lived in the relative protection of your
parents’ homes for the past 18 years and have had in. We have technology at our ngertips and some announced Black has been accepted to University
ings were a lot di erent during this ceremony freedoms limited. Have been told where and when of the most creative and talented individuals yet. of California, Los Angeles and salutatorian Gabriel
compared to 28 years ago, when Fort Irwin Garrison to be and what to do. But now as you embark on the Perez to University of California, Riverside. Perez
Commander Col. G. Scott Taylor graduated from rest of your lives you have unprecedented freedoms “I believe there is something out there for all of not only gave a salutatorian speech but also played
Silver Valley High School. but also unprecedented responsibilities. You will us; whether it’s xing cars or performing surgery, his bass as he performed a song with fellow students
be expected to handle those responsibilities with there are endless possibilities. But nd what really Joshua Baca, Jessica Falla and Ryan Murray.
“My graduation wasn’t quite here, I was in a dif- the same diligence that led you to this stage today.” makes you tick and what makes you passionate
ferent location but I was graduating just like you guys about life.”
are from Silver Valley High School,” Taylor, who e ceremony started with the traditional sounds
was the commencement keynote speaker, told the of “Pomp and Circumstance” as over 60 Trojans During the ceremony Principal Marc Lacey
seniors. Taylor said his graduation was held on the dawning white-and-blue gowns walked out to the
high school’s quad and he remembers the blistering cheers of their loved ones in their nal moments
sun and unforgiving heat in 1988. as high school seniors. Graduate Karolina Rivera
belted out her rendition of the national anthem
Taylor joked that he and his peers contemplated as the 1916th Support Battalion from Fort Irwin
wearing shorts underneath their gowns. His jokes presented the colors.
drew laughs from the hundreds of people packed
inside the air-conditioned gymnasium. Valedictorian Kayla Black addressed her class
and like Taylor o ered her fellow graduates some
Taylor congratulated the students on the ac- encouraging advice.
complishment of completing their high school
education, but he reminded them that the battle “Life goes by fast and before you know it you’re
still lies ahead. graduating and then getting a job and then retiring.
So nd beauty in the ordinary and in the journey.
“I walked a mile in your moccasins, so to speak, Live your life now,” Black said. “Our class really has
I am one of you,”Taylor said. “ ere are many mile the power to shape society and the world we live
markers ahead. Some of you are continuing your

Pentagon embraces survivors atTAPS event

by Jim Garamone we love you. Your country loves than 60,000 surviving family members who volunteer to work She said most Americans transition.”
you. We will never forget why members. with the group. It can also lead have been supportive of the Coming together was
DOD News you’re here. We can never make to healing. She said that last year military, but they often forget
e military is a family, and that up to you, but we can al- Valuing service one of the Coast Guard rescue that when a service member the goal of the evening, and
not even death can end those ways remember. We can always “Every American should swimmers who was helping dies, there are family members plenty of volunteers helped
familial bonds. treasure you. Welcome home.” serve,” said one man who lost his with the kids noticed a TAPS left behind. to facilitate it.
This truism was demon- son in Iraq. “It doesn’t have to be volunteer wearing a button that
strated again May 28 as Defense Carroll was motivated to in the military, but somewhere said “suicide loss team.” “One of the things that I Each of the services had
Secretary Ash Carter threw open form the organization when her in the community — soup like to tell people is that my representatives posted at vari-
the doors of the Pentagon to husband, Army Brig. Gen.Tom kitchens,parks,whatever. ink “He shared that he had just husband was more than a soldier ous parts of the Pentagon to
more than 350 members of the Carroll and seven others, were how much better we would be if lost his son to suicide,” she said. — which he was, and he loved host the survivors. The Na-
Tragedy Assistance Program for killed in the crash of a C-12 in that happened.” “ at’s whatTAPS is about. It’s it — but he was a husband and tional Basketball Association
Survivors, commonly known Alaska in 1992. “I went looking connecting at the heart level. It’s he was a father and he was a — including some of its stars
as TAPS. for the kind of support organi- e survivors are proud of about nding those who are brother and a son and a battle — worked with the kids in the
ese are the families who zation I knew existed for other their service, too. “Our loved grieving in silence and standing buddy and a command sergeant Pentagon courtyard. Kids pet-
have all received the news no one types of loss in our society and ones were part of that one per- alone and bringing them into a major,” she said. ted horses, watched a Marine
ever wants to hear — that their found it just wasn’t there,” she cent who did step forward and family where they are loved and Corps K-9 demonstration,
loved one has died. said. “It had never been created raised their right hands and understood.” Lankford is now a senior spun around the turret in a
Carter, his wife Stephanie in America for military families pledged to protect and defend TAPS peer mentor. “ is pro- Humvee, sat in a Coast Guard
andTAPS founder Bonnie Car- grieving a loss.” the freedoms of this country, and Finding the new normal gram has been a life-changer rescue basket and much more.
roll welcomed all participants when they did so their families Cheryl Lankford has been in and a life-saver for me and my
to the Pentagon with military Carroll did two years of work served right along with them,” the program since her husband, 11-year-old son,” she said. “In “We’re really humbled by the
coins and hugs. “We think of to identify gaps in service and Carroll said. “So when their Army Command Sgt. Maj. the last nine years, we’ve had to way the service members in the
you — our family here in the nd where the needs were. In sacri ce was made, their family Jonathan Lankford, died in Iraq comeintoa newnormal,under- Pentagon have turned out for
Department of Defense – think 1994, she created TAPS. e sacri ced also.” on Sept. 22, 2007. standing what our lives look like us,” Carroll said.
of you as forever a part of our group provides care and support Lankford lives in San now, the transition that we’ve
family,” Carter said. “Know that to an average of 13 new survivors e group has been coming Antonio and now uses her been going through. Coming The survivors have a
every day. e program runs to the Pentagon for just a couple experiences to help other together with other survivors full itinerary planned for
24/7 and o ers care to more of years, Carroll said, and they grieving families. of military loss helps with that the weekend, culminat-
are grateful to all the service ing at Arlington National
Cemetery May 30.

For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil