Pride and examples of patriotism were in the forefront of an early
Veterans Day assembly held at Shoreham-Wading River High School, when
the 11th grade U.S. history classes welcomed guest speaker Suffolk
County Police Officer Matias Ferreira.
With the Patriot Guard holding American flags, student Alexandra Meli
performed the “Star-Spangled Banner” to great applause before Ferreira
took the podium. A recent graduate of the Suffolk County Police
Academy, Ferreira was a Marine Lance Corporal machine gunner with the
1st Battalion 8th Marines on his first deployment when he lost both legs
and broke his pelvis after stepping on an improvised explosive device
in Afghanistan in 2011.
His candid talk about his life’s journey and new career as a police
officer followed several guest speakers who spoke words of reverence for
him and all military service members.
“Having students understand the social, political and economic forces of
all modern wars is the educational goal of the course,” said teacher
Ruth Squillace, who coordinated the event. “To engage them with veterans
of these wars provides actual context to the curriculum.”