November 11, 2025 - In what has become a districtwide tradition, campuses across Comal ISD hosted Veterans Day celebrations to honor local veterans and inviting the community to join them in saying, “Thank you.”
From handwritten cards and posters to musical performances, campus parades and the presentation of the colors, students and teachers recognized the bravery, sacrifice and dedication of each veteran who chose to serve in the U.S. military.
Here are a couple of stories from two of those ceremonies along with a poem written by 8th grade student Theareak Chhun from Mountain Valley Middle School. Read the poem here.
1st Lt. Jere McNeely, Texas Army National Guard
1st Lt. Jere McNeely currently serves in the Texas Army National Guard and is assigned to the Texas Military Department in support of Operation Lonestar on the Texas/Mexico border. A Texas A&M University graduate, McNeely enlisted in August of 2020.
He was proud to attend the Mountain Valley Elementary School veterans day program with his wife, Tiffany, and their four children, twin daughters who are in the second grade at MVES, Harper and Kensington, 3-year-old son Olsen and 8-month-old daughter Remi.
“I think it is nice for young students to see that service comes in all different shapes, sizes and forms, and that just because you do not see yourself fitting a certain mold does not mean there is not a place for you,” McNeely says.
“It is important to continue these events because it reminds the public that service members undertake a great amount of sacrifice even during times of peace.”
Sgt. Brian Post, U.S. Marine Corps
Sgt. Brian Post served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years as a jet mechanic on the AV8B Harrier with two deployments. He chose to enlist because he wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself and explained that he always wanted to help others.
Now, a retired EMS helicopter pilot, Post was able to attend his first veterans day program with his daughter, Isabella, who is a sixth-grade student at Mountain Valley Middle School. He enjoyed seeing veterans from every military branch and from different times in U.S. history being honored. He also thinks that these annual events show students that a military career is respected.
“I think this opens up the idea that they too could serve in the military,” Post says, sharing a quote that has helped him over the years. “Fear is a mile wide and an inch deep.”
Photo descriptions
-1st Lt. Jere McNeely attended the Mountain Valley Elementary School Veterans Day program with his family. Pictured from left is his wife Tiffany holding 8-month-old Remi, Harper, Olsen and Kensington.
-Mountain Valley Middle School student Isabella Post poses with her father, Sgt. Brian Post who served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
-Veterans Day poem written by 8th grade student Theareak Chhun from Mountain Valley Middle School.
-Garden Ridge Elementary School Veterans Day celebration.