R. Roger Rowe School hosted its fourth year Take Flight Jog-a-thon on Oct. 22, raising money for Honor Flight San Diego and honoring local veterans.
For the past four years, the school has been a major donor of the all-volunteer organization that flies World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans on an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built for their sacrifice and in honor of their service. They return home to a big community heroes welcome at the airport, something many of them did not experience when they first came home from war.
On Oct. 22, the school hosted a group of special veteran VIP guests at the event, each one getting time to connect with the students as they participated in the jog-a-thon by grade level. Students thanked them for their service and learned about their personal stories—some even had the veterans autograph their t-shirts.
Students run laps in the Take Flight Jogathon. (Karen Billing)
A student speaks with Medal of Honor winner Royce Williams. (Courtesy RSF School District)
R. Roger Rowe fifth graders helped organize the jogathon. (Karen Billing)
Rowe students speak to a visiting veteran at the jogathon. (Karen Billing)
R. Roger Rowe students with visiting veterans at the jogathon. (Courtesy RSF School)
Students sang “Happy Birthday” to Korean War veteran Peter-Rolf Ohnstad on his 80th birthday. (Karen Billing)
Runners in the annual R. Roger Rowe School jogathon, benefiting Honor Flight San Diego. (Karen Billing)
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Students run laps in the Take Flight Jogathon. (Karen Billing)
Rowe students and families had the unique opportunity to meet veteran Royce Williams, wearing the Congressional Medal of Honor he just received from President Donald Trump during the State of the Union earlier this year. A real-life “Top Gun”, the 101-year-old Williams served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam— he earned his medal for a long held classified secret act of courage, downing four Soviet MiG-15s in a 35-minute dogfight during the Korean War in 1952.
Fifth-grade student leaders with teacher Jessica Henke took the lead in planning and organizing the patriotic event that brought the whole school community together. To help raise awareness and funds, they presented a slideshow to every kindergarten through fifth grade classroom about Honor Flight San Diego and its ongoing mission to serve veterans.
On the day of the event, all fifth grade students and their teachers helped decorate the field with American flags and banners, welcomed the visiting veterans, and served as emcees, keeping the energy up by playing music and cheering on the students as they ran laps by grade level. New this year, Rowe middle schoolers also joined in, running alongside their younger classmates.
Earlier this spring, the school raised over $33,000 at the last jog-a-thon, which helped send a lot of veterans to Washington D.C. as each trip costs $3,000 per veteran.
“With your help, we can send more veterans on their tour of honor,” Honor Flight San Diego Director Saundra Cima told the students, thanking them for their contributions. Honor Flight made two trips in 2026—the most recent one on Sept. 25-27 with 90 World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans. The trip is a time for veterans to visit the memorials built for their sacrifice and to truly honor them for their service.
One of Rowe School’s guests that day was Vietnam veteran Peter-Rolf Ohnstad, who just returned from his first Honor Flight. “Captain Pete” was in the Navy for 10 years, flying the E-2B Hawkeye, a carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft. Following the Navy, he spent 30 years as a Merchant Marine. Students celebrated Ohnstad by singing “Happy Birthday” for his 80th birthday that day.
The group of veterans included Korean War veteran Tom Crosby, back at the jog-a-thon for his fourth year. Crosby was a POW in the Philippines during WWII from 1942 to 1945, starting when he was just eight years old. He thanked the students for being there: “You help us by sharing our stories.”
David Parker, a member of the Marine Corps from 1967 to 1968 in Vietnam, ran laps with the students. Parker, a retired third-grade teacher from the Poway Unified School District, said it was an honor to be there that day. A teacher for 32 years, he said he is also a veteran of many school jog-a-thons, not to mention numerous marathons — the runner notably had a 40-plus year streak of running in every America’s Finest City Half Marathon since it began in 1978.
After students and veterans saluted the flag together with the Pledge of Allegiance, Principal Joe Erpelding led the students in a standing ovation for the veterans, sharing the “immense gratitude” they have in their hearts.