CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Every year, in recognition of Veteran’s Day, Robert C. Byrd (RCB) High School hosts a ceremony to honor veterans in the community.

This year’s event took place on Thursday, Nov. 9 and was organized by RCB’s JROTC unit.

Kyle Bennett, the Command Sergeant Major of the JROTC unit, said that he thinks this event is “extremely important” due to the high volume of veterans that live in West Virginia. “So, I think it’s really important that we honor the veterans and what they’ve done for this country,” he said.

As the Command Sergeant Major, Bennett is in charge of all the color guards and presents them at any school assemblies or extracurricular events at the school. Bennett, a senior student, said that this year, RCB’s “Sabre Corps” used their swords to form an arch, as the Color Guard presented the flags for the national anthem.

To make sure that the routines were executed properly, Bennett said they’ve “had practices after school; we’ve had a lot of organization of making sure we have everything down—every single movement.” Bennett said that this event means a lot to him because he has several veterans in his family and that “having the appreciation of them in a ceremony for our whole school, it just means a lot.”

The ceremony also included music that was performed by the school’s band and choir. In addition, RCB High School brought in David Sherck, a lieutenant colonel from WVU and a professor of Military Science, who spoke to the students about what makes Veterans Day so important.

“I just hope that they kind of like realize what the veterans have done, what they’ve sacrificed, how much work that they’ve put in, and maybe even consider a career in the military,” Bennett said.

Bennett said that this event is just “one of the many things” that the RCB JROTC organization does for the community. The program participates in different sporting events and parades on a regular basis, and Bennett added he thinks it’s a good thing that they’re “helping out.”