On August 26th, over twenty-three cadets from Cartersville High School’s Hurricane Battalion gathered at the American Legion Post 42 in order to support local veterans. The American Legion is an organization aimed at providing veterans with anything they may need. The local chapter hosted a barbecue competition and raffle aimed at raising money for their efforts, and their call for volunteers was almost entirely answered by Cartersville’s Hurricane Battalion.
Cadets arrived at the American Legion at 10 AM on Saturday and left at 6 PM. Throughout the day, they were tasked with everything from directing cars to running a raffle competition. The volunteer efforts were led by Cadet Major Noah Goodwin and Cadet First Lieutenant Marcos Perez. When asked how he felt about dedicating his time to the veterans in his local community, Cadet Brandon Olvera said, “It feels nice to be helping veterans and being [sic] a part of my community.”
Donovan Tucker was the one who contacted the Hurricane Battalion about the event. When asked what inspired him to be one of the organizers of the event, he stated “First off, this event is to raise money for the vet-to-vet program held at our local chapter. The program was set up to help veterans that struggle with PTSD, self-harm, and any other service-related ailments. I’m a member of Post 42 as the adjutant, and that’s what the American Legion does. It helps veterans and their families. It helps them go through the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, get their claims filed, help pay their bills if they need it, get them medical assistance, or whatever else it is that they need. That’s what the American Legion is here for. As a veteran, I’ll do anything to help my fellow veterans. You may look at a serviceman that doesn’t have a scar on him, but you don’t know what’s going on inside, and you don’t know their story. Any time we can help, that is what we are here for.”
The Post 42 volunteer event is just one of many volunteer events that the Battalion undertakes. If you’d like to help the community, contact your counselor or our two local JROTC instructors to sign up for the program.
