Veterans in the Classroom is series of customizable programs that utilize local Indian River County veterans to educate our students in the significance and sacrifices of military service. The Indian River Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America has one of the three teams chartered by the Veterans Council of Indian River County to conduct this training. The chapter has been leading the way with this program in throughout the County.

There are three main programs offered: Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Americanism. Each program is approximately 50 min in length and includes educational DVDs, lectures from veterans from different branches of the Armed Forces, and a question and answer period. All are customizable and the instructors are able to work with the schools to give the best presentation possible. Not only are we interested in providing information about military service, but we also want to help the students understand their veterans.

The Indian River Chapter Team, located in Vero Beach, is led by Carroll Oates, LTC USAR Ret.  There are two other members who have participated in the classroom training for the 2017-2018 School year: Chuck Covarrubias, Col USA Ret; and Terry Treat, Major USA, Fmr.

Here’s a summary of the training conducted by the Indian River Chapter team at various elementary schools since August.


•    Taught 7th & 8th grade students assigned to Flag Duty Class on proper raising (reveille), lowering (retreat) of flag, folding and carrying.

•    Instructed 5th Grade Students assigned to Flag patrol duty on Flag history, evolution, meaning, stars, stripes, color, and proper flag etiquette instruction on raising & lowering, carrying procedures outside (at Flag pole).

•    Displayed proper procedures for carrying, folding and raising/lowering of flag to include Half Mast procedures suitable on Patriot’s Day (9/11) and as proclaimed by President/Gov. for Las Vegas Shootings

•    A full classroom/school assembly instruction on Veterans Day to include, what is a veteran, our experiences as veterans, service to country, benefits offered to veterans, women in the military, retiree status. Difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Information on the upcoming Veterans Day Celebrations.

•    Conducted a class in school cafeteria on Veterans Day, Americanism, Patriotism, American Flag.

•    Gave a talk about Pledge of Allegiance, US Flag, patriotism, meaning of veteran.

•    Presented the Veterans Day Program and participated in school Veterans Day events.

The hard work of this team has not gone unnoticed by MOAA national.  They were recently featured in the Chapters in Action section of the November 2017 issue of Military Officer.