Stater Bros. Brings Six Medal of Honor Recipients to Address Local ROTC Cadets

3/19/2012

Stater Bros. recently brought six Medal of Honor Recipients to San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino to speak to over 400 ROTC cadets and students.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for heroism given by the Armed Services of the United States, and there are currently only 82 living recipients. “Stater Bros. is honored to have the opportunity to share these wonderful American Heroes with our local youth who need to hear that there is hope and that someone cares,” said Jack H. Brown, Stater Bros. chairman and CEO.

The six Medal of Honor Recipients at the event were:

Colonel Harvey C. “Barney” Barnum, Jr. – United States Marine Corps, Retired (Awarded Medal of Honor on February 27, 1967 by Secretary of Navy Paul Nitze for action in Vietnam)
Colonel Robert J. Modrzejewski – United States Marine Corps, Retired (Awarded Medal of Honor on March 12, 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson for action in Vietnam)
The Honorable Ron Ray – United States Army, Retired (Awarded the Medal of Honor on May 14, 1970 by President Richard Nixon for action in Vietnam)
Major James A. Taylor – United States Army, Retired (Awarded the Medal of Honor on March 9, 1967 by President Lyndon Johnson for action in Vietnam)
Colonel Jay R. Vargas – United States Marine Corps, Retired (Awarded the Medal of Honor on May 14, 1970 by President Richard Nixon for action in Vietnam)
Staff Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta (June-ta) – United States Army, Retired (Awarded the Medal of Honor on October 25, 2007 by President Barack Obama for action in Afghanistan)

This is the fourth straight year that Stater Bros. Supermarkets has hosted Medal of Honor Recipients at a local high school. The first year was at Arlington High School in Riverside, the following year at Colton High School, and then last year at Arroyo High School in San Bernardino. The six Medal of Honor recipients each delivered a personal message of perseverance to all those in attendance. They focused on personal responsibility, setting goals, and never giving up. The event included a question and answer period as well as a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity with the Cadets and the Medal of Honor recipients.

San Bernardino, Calif.-based Stater Bros. operates 167 supermarkets in Southern California.