KEARNEY — Three Horizon Middle School, Kearney High School alumni, now members of the National Guard, spoke at the school’s Freedom Celebration on Monday, Nov. 11.
The Guard members included Sgt. Sam Johnson, Sgt. Daniel Crocker and Sgt. Caleb Bean. All three just returned last December from being deployed to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Sgt. Johnson has been in the military for eight years and has served with Alpha Troop in Hastings, South Kora, Fort Polk, La., Omaha and Lincoln and Charlie Troop in Beatrice. He currently serves as an Army Technician, supporting six units in Nebraska.
Sgt. Johnson is the son of Mark and Carrie Johnson.
Sgt. Daniel Crocker has served in the Nebraska National Guard for the past seven years.
In 2019, his unit, Bravo Troop was sent to South Korea for training. Laster in 2022, Sgt. Crocker was move to Charlie Troop and in early 2023 he deployed to the Middle East. He was stationed at United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan.
Sgt. Crocker is currently a full-time student at the University of Nebraska of Kearney, studying elementary education.
Sgt. Crocker is the son of Steve Joene Crocker.
Sgt. Caleb Bean is currently stationed with Charlie Troop in Beatrice and has served in the military for five years. He has been deployed to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He is currently a full-time student at Kansas University, a first years Masters student, a teaching assistant a member of the Jayhawk Athletic Performance Lab.
Sgt. Bean is the son of Stacy and the late Joel Bean.
Each man shared memories of their time at Horizon Middle School and Kearney and spoke of their individual decisions to enlist into the military and the experiences they have had.