Service members past and present along with their families were honored at a Veteran's Assembly hosted by East Aurora High School here, Nov. 2.

High school cadets in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) unit at East Aurora organized the event and welcomed Rear Adm. Stephen Evans, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) who oversees the NJROTC program.

Evans was joined by area leaders, school board members, faculty, students and the guest of honor, Medal of Honor recipient U. S. Army Sgt. Allen J. Lynch.

"There are men and women willing to put their lives on the line so we can all have freedom," said Lynch. "I ask everyone to think about what you can do for your country. One person can make a big difference."

The event honored all the veterans in the crowd dating back to World War II and the emcee of the event, East Aurora Principal Anthony Crespo, asked each to stand and be honored by all the attendees.

The school also honored some of the school's veterans who have passed away while serving in the military including a Medal of Honor recipient. U. S. Army 2nd Lt. Walter Truemper, a 1938 East Aurora High School graduate, was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor in 1944 for actions in World War II. His citation and original medal are currently displayed at the school. Each family member of those fallen were presented a flag by members of the military in attendance.

Evans served as the keynote speaker for the event and thanked everyone for their service.

"It is great to see the support and commitment by the students and the community as I arrived at the school and into the gymnasium," said Evans. "Our shared service joins us together like no other bond."

East Aurora High School is home to the largest NJROTC in the country. The unit was established in 1996 with an initial enrollment of 150 students. As of the 2015-2016 school year, there are more than 700 students in the program.

NJROTC is a citizenship development program, established in 1964, that instills service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment in students in secondary educational institutions. Today, there are more than 600 units at high schools and military academies across the United States including units in Japan and Guam.

Evans and his NSTC staff oversee 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's citizenship development program. NSTC also oversees Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.; Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) at more than 160 colleges and universities across the country; Officer Training Command (OTC) in Newport, R. I.; NJROTC and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about NSTC, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/ or visit the NSTC Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining/.

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.