In what is becoming a tradition at Lafayette, the Air Force Junior Reserved Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) classes organized and hosted a barbecue for community members in honor of Class of 2003 alum Peter Navarro on April 5.  Army Spc. Navarro was killed while serving a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005.

Col. Mike Berenc, AFJROTC teacher, said that the decision to host the barbecue was made by the current senior class of cadets.  Students are encouraged to take on a “legacy” project, and for the fourth consecutive year the Patriot BBQ was chosen.

“I told seniors four years ago: How do you know you existed at Lafayette High School?  How do you know you mattered?  And that was the genesis of the Navarro BBQ,” Berenc said.

Exhibitions this year included live music from different student and local bands, face painting, displays from the military, a car show and, new this year, a rock wall from the U.S. Army.  The food was donated by former Assistant Principal Matt Dieckhaus and the St. Louis BBQ Society.

Local organizations such as the Metro West Fire Department, Chesterfield American Legion Post 556, the United States Army and various veteran groups helped the AFJROTC through sponsorship.

“The event really tells the civic community here that the Rockwood School District values what our students do while they’re down here, and how they serve.  You don’t have to be in the military; you can be in any walk of life and do good,” Berenc said.

The BBQ raised $4,400, all of which was donated.  Most of the money went to BackStoppers, a local organization that assists the families of police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who lost their lives in the line of duty.

All in all, Berenc estimated that there was an $86 loss for the Missouri 81st AFJROTC program.

The BBQ not only honors Navarro, but other servicemen who lost their lives in the line of duty from Rockwood, including Riley Baker from Eureka, Zachary Fisher from Marquette and Edward Forrest from Rockwood Summit, among others.

One family present at the BBQ that honored a loved one was the Vinnedge family.  Their son, Phillip (a Francis Howell Central graduate), was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, and in his memory his parents restored Phillip’s 1951 Chevy pickup truck and decorated it with art honoring him and other fallen soldiers.  The truck was present at the BBQ’s car show.

“I think when the community sees things [like the truck], they see it’s a celebration of men and women that choose to die for something they can’t comprehend,” Berenc said. “For them, it’s not about showing off a vehicle, even though that’s the draw.  They’re trying to help people heal, and you need it.”

The current Class of 2015 cadets are actively planning their legacy project for next year and how they plan on donating the fundraising money.

While Berenc said the weather and construction on Highway 64/40 may have disadvantaged the BBQ, it was prosperous.

“I’ll put this one in the success category,” he said.

For more information on Phillip Vinnedge and his family’s traveling truck, visit http://www.fallenherosdreamride.org/

Page 8 of the April 11, 2014 print edition of The Image features pictures, recaps and reactions from this year’s Peter Navarro BBQ here: http://issuu.com/lhsimage.com/docs/april_11__2014