JROTC cadets from Ramstein High School participate in an Armistice Day ceremony in Thiaucourt-Regnieville, France, Nov. 11, 2025, during which the names of French soldiers who were killed over a century ago were read aloud and remembered. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
THIAUCOURT-REGNIEVILLE, France — Dozens of students from a Defense Department school in Germany had the chance to represent the United States at several ceremonies in France on Tuesday that commemorated the end of World War I.
Nearly 50 cadets from the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, or JROTC, at Ramstein High School donned blue uniforms and stood in formation during solemn Veterans Day and Armistice Day events. Four of the students served as color guard members, holding the American and French flags.
The day’s first ceremony took place at the Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery, about 150 miles west of the students’ school, in the heart of the area where U.S. forces fought one of their most important and decisive battles of the Great War, the Saint-Mihiel Offensive.
JROTC cadets from Ramstein High School, pictured here at Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery, took part in three ceremonies in France on Nov. 11, 2025, marking Veterans Day and Armistice Day. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
“You can feel the importance of the event and being a part of it, representing America,” said Cameron McClean, a member of the color guard who held the American flag during the ceremony, which overlooked more than 4,000 white gravestones that marked the final resting place of soldiers who died more than a century ago.
In total, more than 100,000 Americans died in the war, according to U.S. government figures.
“When you’re out there, you’re experiencing something greater than yourself,” said fellow student Lauren Meusel, who carried the French flag.
The United States entered the war in 1917, sending more than 2 million troops to France, where they played a decisive role in major battles such as Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during the final months of fighting.
“In the United States, and really around the world, what was once called ‘the war to end all wars’ has become largely forgotten,” said Tom Cavaness, superintendent of the Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery. “So it’s encouraging when young people get involved in anything commemorating the First World War.”
After the Saint-Mihiel ceremony, the students participated in a French Armistice Day event in Thiaucourt-Regnieville, where U.S. and French flags flew over the village’s war memorial. Armistice Day commemorates the end of World War I.
JROTC cadets from Ramstein High School march in Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery in France during a Veterans Day ceremony, Nov. 11, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Kaden Herold, a JROTC cadet at Ramstein High School, stands in formation at Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery, in France, during a Veterans Day ceremony, Nov. 11, 2025. Some 50 students from the high school participated in three ceremonies in Frace day, which also marked the 107th anniversary of the end of World War I. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
“Usually students, especially back in the States, don’t get the opportunity to help pay tribute not only to Americans who gave their lives during World War I but also to those from other countries,” said JROTC group commander Sophia Pinero.
At one point during the Thiaucourt-Regnieville ceremony, the names of fallen soldiers were read out loud. After each name, the crowd responded, “Mort pour la France,” or “Died for France.”
“Being part of such a somber event really brings things into perspective,” Pinero said. “A lot of the cadets here today want to join the military, and this gives us an even greater sense of patriotism.”
In the late afternoon, the students attended a third ceremony at the Montsec American Monument, a circular colonnade that commemorates the U.S. First Army’s reduction of the Saint-Mihiel Salient in September 1918, the U.S. Second Army’s operations that November, and the combat service of other U.S. divisions in the region.
“I feel very grateful to be living here and to get these opportunities,” said cadet Charles Kretz, adding that his family often visits war sites and memorials while traveling in Europe.
A high school junior, Kretz said he plans to join the military after graduating. “This would be a great legacy to be part of,” he said.
JROTC cadets from Ramstein High School stand in formation during an Armistice Day in Thiaucourt-Regnieville, France, Nov. 11, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. flag flies during an Armistice Day ceremony in Thiaucourt-Regnieville, France, Nov. 11, 2025, in which about 50 JROTC cadets from Ramstein High School participated. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
