JCPS honors county veterans with annual celebration Submitted by JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SMITHFIELD — Johnston County Public Schools held its 17th annual Veterans Day celebration to honor and recognize all Johnston County veterans for their service Nov. 11. Due to the continuing pandemic, the event was held virtually again this year. “Our veterans have done so much for our country that our district worked to ensure this year’s celebration, albeit virtual, honored our men and women of the United States Armed Forces the best and safest way possible,” said Caitlin Furr, executive director of communication for Johnston County Public Schools. Participants of the virtual ceremony included retired Fort Bragg Chief of Operations Pascal Goicoechea, Johnston
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County Director of Veterans Services Robert Boyette, Junior Reserve Officer Training cadets from seven JCPS high schools, the 2020 Johnston County AllCounty Chorus, the Corinth Holders High School Marching Band, and the North Johnston High Chorus. Goicoechea delivered the keynote address. Born and raised in Cuba, in 1960, he and his family came to the United States. They moved to Texas and he learned English with a “Texas harmony and twang” to it. To further him along, his English teacher gave him a history book to read at home. In 1969, Goicoechea was at a crossroads in his life. He shared that he was in college for all the wrong reasons and was headed nowhere fast. On July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 landed on the
moon, that moment led him to enlist in the military. “I fell in love with the discipline,” he said. In 1977, “GoGo,” as he is known by his comrades, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army. Over the next 33 years he served mostly in worldwide command assignments, in garrison (military outposts) and combat environments. In 2010 he retired as Chief of operations at Fort Bragg. He and his wife currently reside in Clayton, and he serves as a member of the Clayton Rotary. He spoke of being part of an exclusive 1% club that makes up the U.S. Armed Forces. Although he and his fellow comrades were from diverse backgrounds, they molded into one. “We lost the words ‘me’ and ‘I’ and became ‘us,’” he said. Goicoechea praised the role of women in the military. “Women make up 19% of the entire fighting force and without which the other 81% would not get the green light without their support,” he said. He gave advice to JCPS JROTC cadets, the focus of this year’s celebration. In addition to honoring current and retired veterans, this year’s celebration highlighted the next generation of veterans. Lastly, he told the JROTC cadets, “Be aware that the freedoms we enjoy today were earned by millions of men and women who sacrificed so much to be part of that 1 percent club.” Johnston County Public Schools has seven JROTC programs in high schools throughout the county, totaling
