This Friday, Nov. 11, is Veteran’s Day.

Veteran’s Day is an opportunity to honor all who have served in the military, not just those who have died in service. As a way to offer tribute to our veterans, we interviewed a few members of the Rosary community to share the stories of their family members who had served.

Mr. Tice, our Director of Athletics, shared that both he and many of his friends had fathers who served in the Vietnam War, specifically in the army. He shared, “My dad, Tom Tice Sr., served in Germany during Vietnam. I had an Uncle Rick who was in Vietnam, so they couldn’t serve in the same geographic location.” Both Mr. Tice’s uncle and dad are still alive and live peacefully in retirement from the corps.

Mr. Tice also told us, “My father-in-law spent the Vietnam War in Alaska, as a part of the Dental Corp. So, he lucked out too; his name’s John Martin.” Fun fact: Mr. Tice was born in Germany due to his father’s deployment location.

Allison Lillestol ’23 shared with us that both her grandpa, Kenneth E. Lillestol, and her dad, Todd J. Lillestol have served our country. Ally’s grandpa served in the airforce during the Korean War, while her dad served in the army. Ally proudly stated, “My dad was placed in the top 3 in his army rankings, so he got to pick where he was stationed. He chose California, which is where he met my mom.” Ally is very blessed to have such an amazing family, and we’re very fortunate for their service.

Our beloved Maurice shared about his older brother Raymond Wilson. Maurice and Raymond lived in Massachusetts and at age 18, straight out of highschool, Raymond went into the Marine Corps. Maurice was 15 at the time his older brother was drafted, and was saddened to see him leave.

Raymond served a total of eight years (two terms) in the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan, and San Diego. Maurice is happy to say that his brother is now retired and lives in San Diego, granting frequent visits and time well-spent together.

Freshman Christina Vaughn has a family full of veterans. Christina’s dad, Christian Vaughn, served for eight years in the army as a sergeant. He primarily worked on helicopters while serving in Somalia and Germany. Christina’s uncle, Justin Vaughn, served in the army for four years as the field artillery, and traveled many places within the time of his employment. He then served in the Army National Guard in Los Alamitos for three years.

Christina’s family also incorporates a military love story. Her grandma, Leslie Gallagher, served for two years as a navy medic where she met her husband (and Christina’s grandpa) Leroy Vaughn, also a navy medic. The duo were stationed together in the same hospital, and fell in love.

If given the opportunity, thank a veteran for their service. These inspiring people have spent their time sacrificing their lives and defending our country, so the least we could do is show our appreciation. We at Rosary Academy send out a tremendous thank you to all our veterans. God bless!