The Sons of the American Legion Squadron #347 will be presenting a gift of parade swords to the cadets of the Lake Weir High School JROTC program at their meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The swords will be presented in a special custom-made carrying case. This donation is being made in honor and memory of Nicholas Watke, the JROTC’s cadet leader, who was killed in a tragic motorcycle/car accident in November.
Doug White, Adjutant for the Sons, said they are happy to be giving to such a great cause. There are 250 students in the cadets program at Lake Weir.
“The program teaches citizenship, self-confidence and Americanism,” said White. “These are great upstanding, clean-cut kids. You hear all the bad news about kids, here is the good news.” Watke was the student leader of this group. “He had his helmet on while riding his bike on a Sunday afternoon,” said White. “He was hit by a car and died from the injuries. The school and the JROTC program were devastated, as you can imagine.”
The Sons had already been contacted by Sgt-Major Michael Kelsen.
“He is a retired Army guy and leads the program at Lake Weir. He was looking for organizations to supplement his limited budget.”
The Sons had already agreed to purchase the parade swords needed for competitions. Upon learning about Watke’s death, they decided to make a special case with a plaque in his honor.
The Lake Weir Cadets will be part of the Color Guard opening the meeting and the plan is for them to close the meeting with their new swords. The meeting is open to members and invited guests. If you are interested in attending, contact Doug White at 914-447-2727 to make arrangements.
The Sons of the American Legion is open to non-veteran men who have a parent or grand-parent who served in the military. As a service organization they give locally to youth and veteran causes. Started in 2007, among the causes they have supported are Honor Flight and they have given $34,000 in scholarships to Lake Weir and Belleview students over the last four years.
