CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
A Pentagon-approved flyover will kick off a night honoring veterans and first responders at Calallen High School this Friday.
Two military jets from NAS Kingsville will fly over Calallen High School on Friday night before the football game against Gregory-Portland, marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The flyover is part of an annual Military Veteran First Responder Night at Calallen. All military members, veterans, and first responders are invited to a free meal before the game, followed by the opportunity to walk onto the field with a player and be recognized.
Chris Story, the military liaison at Calallen High School, helped coordinate the flyover.
Story remembers exactly where he was on Sept. 11, 2001 — rushing to Calallen High School to find his wife after the second plane struck the Twin Towers.
"It was her first semester teaching at Calallen High School. I remember walking in the school and going straight to her classroom and talking to her," Story said.
Less than a month after the attacks, Story was on a plane to Quantico, Virginia to begin his training as a Marine.
"So I became the first Marine Corps officer class after September 11, 2001. I actually shipped out of Corpus Christi on October 7 — that was the same day the bombing in Afghanistan started," Story said.
After 23 years of service, Story is back home in South Texas and is now using his experience to bring the community together around the anniversary.
"This has become an annual event in Calallen to do a Military Veteran First Responder Night. I hope that the flyover makes it a little more special, gives the veterans and first responders a little bit more pride," Story said.
Story said he hopes the free meal and flyover will encourage veterans who might otherwise shy away from public recognition to take part.
"When they have events and say 'well veterans and first responders stand up,' I know even me sometimes I don't want the recognition, I don't want to stand up," Story said.
"My family looks at me and says 'why are you not doing that, why aren't you standing up?' Hopefully an event like this will put some pride in everyone's service."
Beyond honoring those who served, Story said he hopes the ceremony can remind the community of a time when the country stood united.
"We were there once not too long ago and I think remembering September 11 and how united we were hopefully can give us a bit of hope that we can get back to that place at some point," Story said.
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