One of the young heroes who lost his life after helping save others during Wednesday’s horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, deserves a full honors military funeral, according to members of his community.
Peter Wang, 15, was a junior Cadet who attended the high school and who helped some his fellow students and faculty members flee as a deranged gunman killed at least 17 people and injured many others.
Wang was wearing his Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. uniform when he died, Fox News reported.
A White House petition that was launched on Friday made the case for Wang to be fully honored for his sacrifices. That plea has already attracted more than 22,000 signatures.
“Peter Wang, 15, was one of the students killed in Florida this past week. He was a JROTC Cadet who was last seen, in uniform, holding doors open and thus allowing other students, teachers, and staff to flee to safety,” the description reads. “Wang was killed in the process. His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area.”
The text concludes, “Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial.”
Fox News noted, though, that JROTC doesn’t include basic training and is not, thus, akin to being in the military.
It’s no surprise, though, that people want to see Wang honored, especially based on reports about his kindness that emerged in the wake of the deadly shooting.
As Faithwire previously reported, Aaron Chen, Peter’s cousin, told media after the shooting that he saw Peter engaged in a truly selfless act before his death: donning his JROTC uniform while holding the door for his fleeing classmates, The Daily Mail reported.