Southern Regional honors fallen Americans in field of flags

STAFFORD – Logan Bates never met Kareem Khan, a Southern Regional High School graduate who was killed in Afghanistan while serving with the U.S. Army in 2007.

But Bates, a Southern Regional senior slated to graduate next month, knew full well of his sacrifice as she joined other students planting American flags across the school’s front lawn Thursday.

The annual Memorial Day tribute, which includes more than 7,000 flags spread across the grass field, is aimed at reminding passers-by of those Americans lost in Afghanistan and Iraq during the past 21 years.

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“It is a respect thing, it shows the families (of the fallen) that they are not alone,” said Bates, a member of the school’s Junior Air Force ROTC, which organizes the event each May. “It is nice to freshen that image in people’s minds that this is a day of remembrance.”

Bates, who plans to enlist in the Air Force after graduating next month, is one of dozens of SRHS students who took part in the flag planting Thursday, which ended with 7,057 flags, one for each service member killed in either of those two foreign conflicts.

“It is a big part of the school,” said Col. Joe Potts, a retired Air Force veteran and current instructor for the Southern Regional Junior Air Force ROTC. “And their numbers have increased. It has gotten larger every year.”

Unfortunately, the flag count grows each year, up by 19 since the 2021 memorial, school officials said.

“There is pride in this for the students and between planting the flags and the ceremony it brings home what we are talking about,” Potts said. “A strong visual on the price that has been paid in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

To honor the fallen

The tradition began in 2010 as a way to remember Southern Regional alum who gave their lives in battle and to honor all Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It is to honor the fallen, to learn about them and who went before,” said Baylor Reese, a Southern Regional senior and Junior ROTC member who plans to continue military training in college. “This is why it is not just a three-day weekend, it is the cost of freedom.”

Among those honored is Khan, a 2005 Southern Regional graduate and U.S. Army recruit. A highlight of a ceremony at the school is the placing of a wreath placed at the flag site by Khan’s parents.

“Our goal is that (Memorial Day) is not just a holiday about the beach and celebration. This is what it is about,” said Jean Piscopo, a South Regional teacher and spokesperson. “When they are working on it the cars going by, they are beeping, we have a lot of veterans that come to see the display and to see this.”

Piscopo, whose son spent 22 years in the U.S. Navy, said it has become as much a tradition as any at the school: “We planted the flags even during COVID, we just did not have the ceremony in 2020. For us as a district the program has not changed.”

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Potts, who spent 38 years on active duty and as a reserve, said the junior ROTC program is not a recruiting tool like those at the college level. He said it is more a way to teach discipline, respect and unity.

“There is no expectation or obligation to pursue military careers, the goal is to develop citizens of character,” he said.

Bates and Reese agreed.

“We are here to learn to be good citizens and learn discipline,” said Reese. “I was very shy when I started and it helped me come out of my shell.”

Bates, the great-granddaughter of a World War II Navy veteran and sister to a U.S. Marine, said she has wanted to serve since she was young.

“I always wanted to be like my great-grandfather,” she said about her time in Junior ROTC. “This makes it feel like home, this makes it very humbling.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Memorial Day 2022: Southern Regional students honor fallen soldiers