The Muhlenberg Job Corps Center Student Government leaders joined with local agencies, community members, servicemen, and educators to honor Patriot Day by participating in activities that promoted education on the 9/11 events, outstanding character, and drug/alcohol prevention.

Throughout the week of 9/11, MJCC Student Government Leaders held an all staff and student Patriot Day assembly on Center with two special guests from the local community. The ceremony was kicked-off by an amazing vocal performance by student Cody Pardue singing the National Anthem. Then the first guest speaker took the podium, Major Curtis Persinger, Range Operations Officer of the Wendell H. Ford Training Center. Major Persinger gave a very moving speech about his time in the military and the 9/11 events. Persinger took everyone back to where they were that very moment when tragedy struck our great nation.

The second guest speaker, Muhlenberg County Sheriff, Curtis McGehee, shared an experience he once had at an airport when his wife and he were sending his son off to basic training. They received poor customer service by one agent, and yet an airport volunteer showed them more compassion and recognition of his son being a serviceman. The students could clearly tell the difference of the positive and negative character traits between the two examples mentioned above. Sheriff McGehee stated “it doesn’t matter where you are, who you live with, who you are in the presence of, you should always have good character at all times.” He closed by encouraging the students to continue their path at Job Corps, to live a clean drug/free life and become successful citizens of society. The ceremony closed by having a reception outside the cafeteria serving a patriotic ice-cream treat.