A few days ahead of the actual Veterans Day, the Escalon High School First Responders Class put on a special assembly to honor veterans, hosted in the main gym on the EHS campus on Friday, Nov. 7.
Members of the Escalon American Legion Post 263 introduced themselves and presented the colors and the National Anthem was performed by Madelyn Fahey, an EHS student whose father, Michael Fahey, served in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 1994.
Legion Post Chaplain Casey Den Ouden took to the podium to thank the school administration and faculty, the First Responders Class and the students for inviting them to take part and for remembering the service and sacrifice of the nation’s veterans.
A flag folding ceremony was performed by the post, with each of the 13 folds of the flag having special significance, provided by emcee Den Ouden.
Longtime Legion member Al Bellinger, who served in the U.S. Navy, passed away on Oct. 29; he was remembered during the special Veterans Day assembly and his grandsons, EHS students Drew and Jacob, were invited to the podium as remarks were offered by friend and fellow veteran Allan Lial. Also, Al’s wife Eva was invited to sit in the section of chairs set up for veterans at the Friday afternoon assembly.
“He talked about the boys all the time; he was so proud of his grandsons and I know that they were proud of him too,” Lial told the crowd. “Most of you never knew Al Bellinger but you know who he is … he was the veteran presenting the American flag before the varsity football game, he led your Homecoming parade as a member of the Honor Guard, he coordinated and helped select two of your classmates to attend Boys and Girls State in Sacramento, where they learned more about the function of our government.”
Lial went on to describe Bellinger as a “true leader in this community” and said he was a very active member of the local Legion post.
The program also included recognition of those serving or those who have served in the miliary, as the EHS band and choir performed the song for each branch of the military, those in that branch were invited to stand and be acknowledged.
Special guest speaker for the program was Gunnery Sergeant Rafael Felix, United State Marine Corps. He was a 2103 EHS graduate and enlisted in the Marine Corps in August of 2013. His service has included tours in Iraq in 2016, assignments in Japan, Korea and Taiwan and in 2018, attended Counterintelligence training.
In October, 2022, he transitioned to recruiting and worked at Recruiting Station Sacramento, then moved to Modesto and since December, 2024, has served as Station Commander for Recruiting Sub-Station, Stockton.
Among his honors, receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
“Good afternoon, Cougars,” Felix said as he stepped to the podium. “I want to start off by saying thank you for inviting me to speak about the meaning of Veterans Day. It makes me really proud to see the emphasis this town puts on honoring its veterans.”
In his current role as a recruiter, Felix said he has had the opportunity to travel to schools from Visalia to Redding, visiting about 50 different schools over the past couple of years.
“I can say that this is the single school that has put on something like this; this is really special,” Felix told the crowd.
Freedom, he also noted, is not automatic.
“Every right and privilege we enjoy, our ability to speak clearly, go to school, exist because in every generation, Americans somewhere stood up to defend it,” Felix said. “Growing up in Escalon, I was taught about all the sacrifices our service members would make by going to war and putting their life on the line.”
But, he admitted, he never really understood what Veterans Day meant, though he would always thank the military personnel for their service.
“After more than 12 years of being a Marine, this is what I have concluded ‘thank you for your service’ means,” Felix explained. “It means thank you for all the birthdays that you missed, thank you for all the weddings that you missed, thank you for missing your children’s births, thank you for the time spent away from family and thank you for all those special moments missed.”
And, Felix said, while not everyone will join the military, there are other ways to serve.
“Service comes in many forms; you can serve your community, your school, your family and your country by showing integrity, compassion for others and respect,” Felix said. “Veterans Day, to me, should remind us all that we have a role to play in keeping America what it is, so don’t be a bystander ... Thank you, God bless our service members and Semper Fi, Cougars.”
The program concluded with a video highlighting several service members from Escalon, some from decades ago, and many of the most recently enlisted, including some students who graduated with the Class of 2025 earlier this year, receiving applause and cheers from their former schoolmates.
