Veterans and their families, parents and community members are invited to Veterans Day assemblies this week at Philomath High School and Philomath Middle School.
Philomath Middle School’s assembly begins at 8:10 a.m. at the building’s gymnasium. Capt. John De Pree, who commands the Naval ROTC unit at Oregon State University, is scheduled to be the guest speaker.
In addition to the speaker, the event will feature the Naval ROTC’s color guard and presentations from the school choir and band.
De Pree earned Naval Flight Officer status in 1998 and is a veteran of six deployments. A pilot under the call sign “Cosmo,” he is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, commonly known as Top Gun. De Pree assumed command of the Naval ROTC unit at OSU in October 2021.
The Veterans Day assembly at Philomath High School is scheduled for Thursday and will run from 11:40 a.m.-noon. Following the assembly, veterans and their families are invited to join the Associated Student Body for a lunch in their honor. Veterans planning to attend are asked to email ASB adviser Jessica Mattson for planning purposes.