GONZALES — Students at Fairview Middle School in Gonzales hosted a Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 6 to honor local veterans, marking the return of an annual tradition for the Gonzales Unified School District (GUSD).
The student-led event, which drew community support from organizations across South Monterey County, featured contributions from the Soledad High School NJROTC Color Guard, Gonzales High School Band, American Legion and Auxiliary Post 81 and the City of Gonzales.
“It was an honor and a blessing to be a part of reinstating the Annual Veterans Recognition at Gonzales Unified School District,” said Joni Madolora, a retired GUSD principal who helped coordinate the event. “It’s special because it is a true collective school, community, South Monterey County inclusive endeavor.”
The assembly’s highlight was the presence of Milton “Mooch” Mocettini, a Gonzales High School alumnus and World War II Navy combat veteran. Students expressed their appreciation through personal reflections on the importance of honoring veterans, underscoring the impact veterans have on the community.
The assembly also included a traditional “Missing Man Table” ceremony, where students, under Madolora’s guidance, explained the symbolic setup honoring service members who are missing in action.
The event concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony that featured the oldest and youngest veterans in attendance: Mocettini and Sgt. Vidal Arteaga from Greenfield. Madolora noted that the ceremony symbolized the “passing of knowledge and experience from one generation to another, which we must always continue.”
After the formal ceremony, students continued to show respect by personally approaching Mocettini to shake his hand and thank him for his service.
“One would think it would stop there,” Madolora reflected, “but as students were dismissed, many took the time to go over to the World War II veteran, shake his hand, and say ‘thank you.’”
