November 11, 2026 - Campuses across Comal ISD hosted Veterans Day celebrations honoring the men and women who sacrificed and served in the armed forces.
The celebrations included special student performances from choirs, bands and dancers to JROTC cadets. Community veterans enjoyed parades, programs and more.
Students with family members being honored were proud to share their military connection with classmates and teachers. Here are a few veteran spotlights from Rebecca Creek Elementary School and Smithson Valley High School.
Brent Newton, Petty Officer 2nd Class, Navy
Brent Newton served in the Navy for seven years, enlisting to become a network engineer, a career he still pursues today. He and his wife, Melissa McKelvy, have two sons who attend Rebecca Creek Elementary School: Logan Griffin, a fifth-grade student, and Jay Newton, a fourth-grade student.
“Programs like this are huge,” Brent says. “Students get to understand the importance of our military and begin to understand why they get to have these freedoms.”
He is the first to say that serving isn’t easy, explaining that he moved his family several times from Virginia to Hawaii and then to Florida and Texas.
“I wish people knew the struggles and how you don’t have a lot of control over your immediate future.”
For Jay, the celebration gave him the chance to spend time at school with his dad.
“We are honoring veterans who helped us and kept us safe.” Brent remembered that Jay used to fit inside the pocket of his uniform.
Older brother, Logan, was proud to have his parents in the audience while he sang during the ceremony.
Aaron Klopf, Marines and René Klopf, Air Force
Aaron Klopf, Military Occupational Specialist, Marines, five years
René Klopf, Master Sgt., Air Force, 12 years active, 12 years reserve
Aaron and René are both veterans with René still active. They have four children and two grandchildren. Their two youngest sons are students at Rebecca Creek Elementary School: AJ, a fifth-grade student, and Alex, a third-grade student.
“These celebrations are awesome for us,” says Aaron. “Knowing that the community and the students understand what we sacrificed and why they can be here.”
Both AJ and Alex were proud to have their parents on hand for their school’s program.
“It makes me feel that I’ve done good, because I made my parents proud,” says AJ.
“It means to me that they tried to help our country,” says Alex.
Ben Thompson, Lt. Col., Army, 16 years, still active
Ben Thompson and his wife, Tania, have four children who attend Comal ISD schools. Three attend Rebecca Creek Elementary including twins Vanessa and Isabella who are in the third grade and Ben who is in kindergarten. Their oldest is Stephen who is an eighth-grade student at Mountain Valley Middle School.
“Today’s program means a lot,” says Ben. “It’s nice to see the community supporting our military veterans. I enjoyed the music and hearing the pledge of allegiance. It was wonderful.”
It was fun for the students as well.
“It’s awesome to spend time with my parents at school,” says Vanessa, “and to see the community respect them and honor our veterans.”
Rick Grooms, 1st Sgt., Army, 26 years
Rick Grooms served 26 years in the Army with an armor unit. He and his wife, Tricia, attended the program at Rebecca Creek Elementary to be with their three grandchildren who are students there. They include Amaziah, a fifth-grade student, Ze’Annah, a third-grade student, and Zane, a first-grade student.
“Through programs like this, I know that our children are learning our history,” says Rick. “This gives them the opportunity to see the guys and girls who served. It’s important for them to see it, because it becomes their history.”
Amaziah is definitely watching and learning. He wants to be a mechanic in the Air Force one day to serve and help people.
“It means respect, honor and recognition,” says Amaziah.
Angela Williams, Captain, Air Force, 8 years
Veteran Angela Williams served as the special guest speaker for the Smithson Valley High School Veterans Day ceremony and was introduced by her daughter, Kenzi, who is an 11th-grade student and serves as the Spirit Master for the SVHS Student Council.
Angela served in the Air Force nurse corps and shared that she joined the military a little later than most after earning her nursing degree and working in a trauma hospital in Houston.
“Veterans Day has always held special meaning for me because military service has been part of my family’s history for generations,” she says. “My father served, my brother served, and I had the privilege of continuing that tradition.
“As we honor our nation’s veterans, I hope we remember that behind every uniform is an individual who made a commitment to serve, often without knowing exactly what that commitment would require.”
Besides Kenzi, Angela has two additional children, Saxton Williams who graduated from SVHS in 2026 and Peyton Chadwick.
Photo descriptions
-Veteran Brent Newton and his wife Melissa McKelvy attended the Rebecca Creek Elementary School Veterans Day program with sons Jay Newton and Logan Griffin.
-Veterans René and Aaron Klopf attended the Rebecca Creek Elementary School Veterans Day program with sons Alex and AJ.
-Lt. Col. Ben Thompson and his wife Tania attended the Rebecca Creek Elementary School Veterans Day program with their children. Pictured from left is Vanessa, Ben and Isabella.
-Veteran Rick Grooms and his wife Tricia attended the Rebecca Creek Elementary School Veterans Day program with their grandchildren. Pictured from left is Zane, Ze’Annah and Amaziah.
-Veteran Angela Williams served as the guest speaker during the Smithson Valley High School Veterans Day program. She is pictured her with her daughter Kenzi, who is an 11th-grade student at SVHS.
-Smithson Valley High School student Katie Freeman provided a firsthand account of being a part of a military family.