Staff Who’ve Served

By Izzy Larsen

Redwood staff members Roy Orosco and Robert Rooney, veterans from the US Military give insight to commemorate upcoming Veterans Day.

November 11th is recognized as Veterans Day, honoring those who have served in the United States Military.

Redwood staff members Roy Orosco and Robert Rooney are both Veterans of the US Military.

Rooney is the metal shop teacher, and Orosco is part of the admin team but specializes in student supervision and engagement.

Orosco served in the Marine Corps and Rooney served in the Navy.

Orosco says, “The exposure to the different cultures from every state the United States has. There is no better place to be than here. No matter how bad or how good it is here, anywhere else is not as diverse as here.”

Rooney says, “A positive effect of joining the military is the self-discipline and the responsibility.”

Orosco had learned many things during his time in the Marine Corps, he says, “to value teamwork and perspective. I also learned how to push through when times are tough.”

November 8th marks the day in which Rooney enlisted in and went out for his service in the Navy, having gone out in 1973 and returning in 1977.

He uses this time to “connect with and reach out to guys he was in service with. I want to use this time off to text his friends he hasn’t seen in a while”

Orosco spends his day off differently from Rooney.

“Normally I just stay in my room and sleep. Unfortunately, I have emotions and feelings I deal with on Veterans Day and Memorial Day that hit home very hard for me. So I prefer to sleep through it. Although in recent years I’ve been doing better.”