Kyle-stonians have become accustomed to firsts. However this past Memorial Day the city of Kyle was host to a first at the state level.
Kyle was the location of the first ever ceremony to formally recognize and send-off Texas high school students headed to U.S. service academies in the fall. More than 1,400 students applied with only 325 being accepted into one of five U.S. service academies. The event was created and hosted by U.S. Senator John Cornyn and featured guest speaker Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.
I was particularly honored to have personally met Lieutenant General Sanchez. Sanchez was the commander of coalition forces in Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004. At the time of his retirement on Nov. 1, 2006, Sanchez was the highest-ranking Hispanic in the United States Army.
I was honored not for the three stars he wears on his shoulders, but because he defied the odds. Growing up in a poor family in the Texas Rio Grand Valley, he graduated from Texas A&I University and entered the military at a time when upward promotion for Hispanics was non-existent and filled with barriers. To fully appreciate his accomplishment, it should be noted that in a 2002 Dept. of Defense statistic cited that only 4.1 percent of all active duty officers in the U.S. armed forces are Hispanic.
More than 300 people from around the state attended the event recognizing the soon to be cadets at the U.S. military academies. One of the students was a local Hays High School student on his way to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
During his address, Lt. General Sanchez offered words of advice and reflections to the students. He also gave a deep and moving reflection on his understanding of the United States Uniformed Service Oath of Office. He stated that this simple oath provides a powerful understanding of what it truly means to be a soldier defending the Constitution of the United States. Sanchez admitted that he himself did not fully understand and appreciate this simple oath until having spent time in uniform and in military action.
What struck me most about the event was the quality of the students. At first glance these future military leaders appear like any high school senior. But a short conversation with these young men and women reveals that they are truly something special. They have a disciplined sense of duty to our country that is unbreakable and inspiring.
While for some, Memorial Day holiday has become a time for cookouts; for these students and their families, it was poignant day to reflect and celebrate the start of their military careers and to recognize the sacrifices made by our service men and women.
I would like to thank both Senator Cornyn and Lt. General Sanchez for visiting Kyle but also for taking the time after the event to make sure they visited with every single student and their family on on a one-to-one and personal basis.