Schools honored fallen heroes Marine Capt. Stanford Shaw III and Marine Sgt. Nilton Cacoilo.
BRIDGEWATER - U.S. Marine Capt. Stanford "Ford" Shaw, III and U.S. Marine Sgt. Nilton Cacoilo were remembered during a ceremony on Thursday, stories of their 1,000-watt smiles, infectious personalities and unwavering devotion to their country energizing everyone around them.
The pair were honored Thursday morning during the third annual Proud to be an American Day held at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School.
The ceremony had to be moved inside because of inclement weather - cancelling the much-anticipated landing of six military helicopters - but it was emotional and moving nonetheless.
Marine Lt. General James B. Laster, who is stationed at the Pentagon, was the guest of honor. Tributes and remembrances of the pair were shared by Marine Capt. Paul Bailey and Edward Graf, the history teacher at the vo-tech who organized the event.
One of the highlights of the ceremony, held in the school gymnasium before a packed house of students, family members, friends and county dignitaries, was a spectacular performance by the Union County High School ROTC Drill Team.
Cannon fire was unleashed throughout the ceremony. The families were presented with flowers, a wreath and plaque.
Afterwards, there was food and students were able to simulate piloting a high-speed assault craft and extract Navy SEALs from enemy territory in the Navy's new high-tech, virtual reality experience.
Students worked on the event for the past year and raised more than $9,000, said Graf. They donated $300 of that to the New Jersey Veterans Network.
"This was a remarkable ceremony," said Nilton's mother, Maria Cacoilo, wiping back tears. "This is keeping my son alive in memory. It's a tremendous tribute to him, Capt. Shaw and (9/11 victim Wayne) Mr. Russo (of Union).
"I hope this encourages the youth. I hope it tells them that their freedom is important and reminds everyone to respect our soldiers who are fighting for us."
Shaw's father, Ford, was equally appreciative.
"This was quite a surprise, a wonderful event," said Ford as he was hugged by more than a dozen ROTC students. "We can't, as a family, thank Mr. Graf and the students enough on what they did to put this together. This helps us not to forget our son."
Shaw, a Basking Ridge resident who graduated from Ridge High School in 2002, died in a helicopter training exercise. Nilton Cacoilo of Union who graduated from Union High School in 2003, died after contracting a deadly form of leukemia during a deployment to Iraq. Neither was married.
"We need to come together as a country," said Graf. "This is what Memorial Day is all about. We should feel this way everyday, but especially on Memorial Day when we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country."
Shaw, 31, was a member of an elite military unit called the Marine Raiders, was one of seven Marines killed during a 2015 training exercise off the Florida Panhandle when their U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter went down in a dense fog off the coast of Elgin, Fla. Four members of the Louisiana National Guard also died in the crash.
Cacoilo, 24, was a mechanic who served two tours in Iraq. He died in 2010 after contracting Acute Myeloid Leukemia from exposure to toxic chemicals during his tours in Iraq.
"We feel so proud to be able to honor the families of these two soldiers who lost their lives serving us and their country," said Kristen Fernandez, an 18-year-old senior who worked tirelessly to help put together the event.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.