Photo/Story: 1SG(R) Raymond L. Eason
On February 19, 2023, at Forest Lawn Cemetery Hollywood Hills, CA, elite members of the Garfield High School Bulldawg Battalion participated in the largest celebration of its kind, to honor George Washington’s birthday and to observe Presidents’ Day. Also, the Sons of Liberty hosted this celebration inviting other JROTC units in the surrounding and Los Angeles counties to partake in the Massing of the Colors and Salute to our Armed Forces.
The Forest Lawn Cemetery is the home to a scenic area that displays the world’s largest historical mosaic, bronze life-size statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
There, the Garfield High School’s JROTC color guard, honorably observed the Flag Folding Ceremony, the playing of Taps, and a Vintage War Birds Flyover of military planes of the past, with a special guest appearance of Honest Abraham Lincoln who has deeply inspired the masses.
It is indeed an honor each year to participate in the Massing of the Colors sponsored by the Sons of Liberty. Cadets through the years have learned and appreciated military traditions, customs, and courtesies of the United States of America, which only emphasizes the JROTC’s mission, to motivate young people to be better citizens.
