Bryan County High School held an assembly Friday in honor of American veterans, hosted by the Redskin Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Master of ceremonies Sgt. Donald Curry introduced guest speaker Dr. Rod Backman, assistant principal of Bryan County High. Backman is a retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Army, and he shared three emotional stories of his 22-year military career.

After Backman’s address, JROTC cadets introduced relatives who had served in the military, including BCHS staff, Charles Johnson and Keith Corbin. Other introductions are as follows:

Makayla Black introduced Derrick Holden; Victoria Jones introduced David Jones; John Tison introduced his father, Cory York; Donald Curry introduced Gerald Bowen as his daughter, Lindsay Bowen, who was representing BCHS in Carrolton at the state cross country meet; Breanna Stringer introduced her father, Stevie Stinger; Josie Suss introduced her father, Douglas Suss; Shamiria Key presented her father, the late Winton Key; Sabrina Jones presented her mother, Jerri Dhamers, grandfather, Jerry Jones, and great-grandfather, Gene Jones; Joy Love and Morigan Love presented their father, Jack Love; Stacia Bing introduced Melvin Dukes; Alyssa Holden presented Christopher Burdette; Tyler Robertson introduced Gregory Atwood, husband of BCHS social studies teacher Lynn Atwood; Donald Curry presented BCHS staff member Charles Johnson; Logan Scott presented her father, Phillip Scott; James Nichols introduced his mother, Delaney O’Quinn, who expressed thanks to military families; Ryan Hires introduced BCHS social studies teacher Keith Corbin, who shared a moving story of his time in the Air Force; Shamiria Key presented former BCHS JROTC instructor Stephanie Ducre; and Angelina Wilkes presented Rod Backman.