This past weekend, the Military Aviation Museum partnered with the Atlantic Shores Retirement Community to prepare a special event to share the stories of those who dedicate their lives to serve our country.  Vets and Cadets, a new program created this year, allows NJROTC cadets to interview veterans and record their stories to preserve the legacies of their lives.

Merri Jo Abernethy, the founder of Vets and Cadets, was inspired to create the event when her son, Miles, a current ROTC student at First Colonial High School, began talking to her neighbor, retired Navy Captain Ted Davis, about his naval career as captain of the USS Grenadier.  Miles told his mother about the amazing stories he had heard and how he wished to find a way to preserve these experiences.

Searching for a platform to save these interviews, Merri Jo Abernethy discovered the “Storycorps.me” app, which was originally created to capture the stories of servicemen and women.

The actual event lasted around five hours and paired 30 students from the school and First Colonial High School with retired veterans.  The day consisted of interviews, museum tours, speeches, and more.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our cadets and I couldn’t be more excited about how our first event has turned out.  It’s so much better than I could have possibly hoped,” said Abernathy.

To conclude the event, she stressed the importance of playing the role of a “historian.”  Anyone can serve as a reporter, even in their own family, because according to Abernathy, nothing is more important than the stories of the people around you.