(EDITOR’S NOTE: This letter has been edited since its initial publication to clairify the starting time of Wednesday’s Snohomish School Board meeting.)
I could never fully compare it to the death of a loved one, for it’s not that. But it is the death of something, an idea — a team — a fellowship.
My name is Elizabeth Wu, and I’m a sophomore cadet in Snohomish High School’s Marine Corps Junior ROTC program.
Many people look at me as an oddity. What is an Honors student and art teacher’s daughter doing in a military-based class? My answer to them now is because leaving JROTC would be like walking out on my family. These cadets — these teens — became the siblings my only-child-life never had. And for once in my life, things weren’t just about me anymore. Now it’s not just “Do well and you get an A,” it’s “Help others, and you will do well.” I’ve seen so many wonderful emotions take place within my unit, I’ve seen my friends grow in ways I’ve never seen before — and I’ve seen myself grow in ways that I never imagined possible.
Because of our country’s economic situation, the Snohomish School District is threatening to cut its JROTC program. The fate of JROTC is to be decided at Wednesday’s school board meeting in the George Gilbertson Board Room, located at 1601 Avenue D in Snohomish. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m., and the JROTC issue is expected to come up at about 7.
If there is anyone who cares about our plight, and will help us try to keep our program alive, please come to the meeting Wednesday wearing a red or yellow shirt to show support for the JROTC. Thank you, and God bless.
Elizabeth Wu
Snohomish
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