ROTC cadets fly to D.C. to honor unknown dead

Kristy Mangos Arizona Daily Wildcat Mathematics senior and Air Force ROTC cadet training and safety instructor James Roche, also a director training assistant for the Arnold Air Society, will be one of five cadets traveling to Washington, D.C. next week to place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony will show respect for those who died in battle.

"POW's and MIA's have a big place with me because I think no matter what your background, your personal thoughts, it is important to stop and reflect from time to time," he said. "We need to understand where our freedom came from, how we got it and who fought for our freedom."

Next week Roche, a mathematics senior and an ROTC member, will visit the tomb in Washington, D.C. with other members of the Arnold Air Society to display their respect for those who died in battle defending U.S. interests.

In the meantime, Roche's brother, Chris, is stationed in Bosnia with the army.

"I whole-heartedly support him and admire him for what he does," Roche said of his brother.

Roche and four other cadets, who are members of the air society, will venture to the nation's capitol to lay a wreath on the tomb. The club members will be honoring the dead, unidentifiable soldiers for the first time in the club's 40-year history.

An Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet and safety instructor, Roche said he aims to possess a willingness for self-sacrifice matching that of the people represented in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Remains of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War are placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Roche, who grew up in a military family, spent his youth in Stafford, Va. about one hour from Washington, D.C. and paid several visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the Holocaust Museum and the Iwo Jima statute among other monuments.

"There was a lot to learn from that war (Vietnam) and that wall is a portion of that learning instrument," Roche said. "(People) should be able to go and see how the children of this nation have died for the nation and get some appreciation."

Roche said he hopes to become an Air Force navigator or sign on with a government organization like the Central Intelligence Agency or the National Security Agency.

He said although his father worked at the Pentagon for about eight years and served as an Army Lt. Colonel, his parents did not push him to join the military.

"It was totally my decision," Roche said. Growing up in a military family "was not a negative thing by any means."

Roche said he chose the Air Force because it corresponded with his major.

"I want to do my service to my country to the best of my ability and hopefully it will be a reflection of the people I strive to be," Roche said.