Photo By Hannah Frenchick | Navy Airman Jackson Risse, a member of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, spoke to...... read more read more
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The sound of drums keeping cadence rang through the walkways of New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy (NOMMA) when the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard and drummers from The U.S. Air Force Band marched around the corner as students looked on. The team halted in front of the school to present the colors as they would be doing in just a few short days in front of an audience much larger than those 100 students.
Each year the U.S. Army Military District of Washington receives requests to support events of all sizes. This year the request came through to support Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. On top of supporting the big game, the team met with several schools’ Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and band programs in the Big Easy.
“We went to schools and introduced ourselves,” said Specialist4 Cameron Matthews, a member of the Space Force Honor Guard. “We just talked about what we'll be doing for the Super Bowl, and the kids had the opportunity to ask questions.”
One of the students who found the program to be valuable was Adrian Topete, a senior at NOMMA.
“These things are really important because it's one thing to watch the color guard on the Super Bowl. But to have the people you see on TV come to our school and talk to people, it's great for young minds,” said Topete.
The program at the schools consisted of a demonstration, a large group question-and-answer session, as well as small group breakout sessions where students could get tips and tricks for their own color guards or ask more questions.
“It was very good to get insight from [the students] about what branch they want join, if they want to join,” said Sergeant Justin Yurs, a member of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). “Giving them [information on] opportunities and knowledge about what the military has to offer, whether it's school or career based. It's cool talking about what all it can provide, because they think it's all just infantry.”
Yurs had the opportunity to share the opportunities that serving in the Army has provided him.
“My whole career has been endless possibilities of great things, like, I got my master's for free, essentially a $50,000 degree,” said Yurs. “I've gotten to do flag setups at the White House with my old platoon.”
The stories that Yurs shared like those are what kept students engaged in the program.
“It's the interest level, the alertness,” said retired Marine Colonel Patrick Kline, Senior Marine Instructor at NOMMA. “They are really listening to what every color guard member and drummer is saying.”
Each member of the color guard and drummers have a unique story to tell. This hit home with many of the students.
“[I enjoyed hearing] about their different paths of joining their service and different experiences,” said Topete, the Marine JROTC program’s Cadet Lieutenant Colonel. “My father is in the military. Growing up around the military, it's all really interesting to me personally, and that's why I plan to join the military.”
Topete said he hopes to attend either the United States Military Academy West Point or the United States Naval Academy to become a Marine officer.
Corporal Silas Clayton, one of the Marines on the color guard team, was able to give a little insight about the Marine Corps to the group of eager students.
“We, as Marines, do hold ourselves to the standard, and we are also people as well,” said Clayton. “There's a bit of an iron curtain when it comes to the Marine Corps and that we are straight faced and strait-laced, but in reality it’s a brotherhood as much as it is a service. It's a family as much as an organization.”
The students were able to pull back the curtain and learn just a little bit more.
“Well, my favorite part is the stories that the color guard shared with the cadets, personal and military,” said Kline.
While it was a teaching moment for the color guard, they also took the opportunity to learn a few things themselves.
“We could also ask them questions,” said Yurs. “It's not just us giving them our information, they were telling us stuff and we learned about how Louisiana has parishes and not districts or counties. They taught us a lot as we were teaching them about the military. It was really cool.”
Some members of the color guard team were also surprised about how much interest the students showed.
“The biggest thing I took away is how interested people are in the military,” said Matthews. “Growing up, I wasn't near any military bases, so I didn't really have any knowledge or any interest in the military. But once I got older, I did some research. But these kids are starting to come in with knowledge, and the school systems here are doing a good job of teaching them about what it is.”
Following the visit at NOMMA, the color guard and drummers made their way to Jesuit High School and Brother Martin High School where they continued to share their stories and experiences.
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2025 13:53 |
| Story ID: | 490540 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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