The Veterans of Foreign Wars recognized five Pebble Hills High School Navy JROTC students on Oct. 25 for raising awareness in the Socorro Independent School District on the proper way to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge.
Cadets Marshall Billie, Ashley Llamas, Alexandra Muñoz, Xochipl Payan and Anaeli Portillo participated in a 2-minute instructional video demonstrating the proper method of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge. The video was emailed to all SISD school principals, who shared it with their teachers, students, and staff at the start of the 2023-24 school year.
"It's important because many veterans fought for this country and fought for our freedom, and the way we say the pledge is honoring why they fought for us and why we are free in this country, and that's pretty much why we say it correctly," said Billie, the video’s narrator.
In the video, Billie instructs viewers to stand if they can, face the flag, place their right hand over their heart, and, most importantly, pause at the appropriate times when reciting both pledges.
Chandra Lynn Chapman, a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy and a Navy veteran, came up with the idea of doing the instructional video after noticing that students did not know the formal protocols for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge.
Chapman created a presentation on correctly reciting the pledges for teachers at her school, but she thought a video would help generate awareness throughout the district. She was grateful to the NJROTC students for helping to spread her message districtwide.
“It was important for me to recognize the students that participated in the video because they need to realize that they had such a profound impact on many students within the district,” Chapman said. “Over 47,000 students were all looking at them to show them how to properly recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and they did an outstanding job, so we gave them some certificates to acknowledge their efforts because we know it's a lot of hard work.”
Payan, an eleventh-grader, said she was excited to appear in the video but a little shy about it because so many people have seen it and recognized her. However, the future Army nurse said reciting the pledge correctly is an excellent way to honor veterans.
"I think it's important because we are (teaching) people the correct way to do the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge because it honors (military) who passed away and who are on duty,” Payan said.
Texas VFW District 10 Commander Robin Johnson said it was heartwarming to see the students demonstrate their patriotism in the video.
"Whether or not they go on to have careers in the military or have a short stint in the military, they are learning about service and commitment and patriotism and citizenship, and those are all such important lessons for all of our community to have, and we are really so pleased to see that instilled in them at such a young age," Johnson said.
Veterans of Foreign Wars recognizing five Pebble Hills High School Navy JROTC students event photos