Petition seeks military burial for JROTC cadet who died saving fellow students

PARKLAND, Fla. — Peter Wang died proudly wearing his gray JROTC uniform, holding open doors so several of his classmates could escape the gunfire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week.

Though those classmates made it, Peter did not. And now, a White House petition has been established seeking full military honors at the burial of the 15-year-old freshman who was among 17 people killed in the Valentine's Day school shooting.

As of Monday morning, the petition had reached just over 23,000 signatures. A petition must reach 100,000 signatures to get a response from the White House.

The petition states that Peter was last seen, in uniform, holding doors open so that other students, teachers and staff members could escape.

"His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area," the petition states. "Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial."

Friends of the teen said they want people to know how selfless he was, according to WPLG News 10 in Pembroke Park.

"I want people to know that he died a hero; that he died saving many people," friend and classmate Aiden Ortiz told the news station.

His selflessness extended into his everyday actions, classmate Rachel Kuperman said. She recalled the last time she saw Peter, the day before he was slain.

"I forgot my lunch that day, and he went to the vending machine with me and he bought me Sprite and candy and snacks," Rachel said. "He put others before himself."

Fox News reported that it would take government intervention for Peter to receive a military funeral, since JROTC does not provide basic training and thus does not count as military service. JROTC, or the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, is a federal program for middle and high school students that focuses on citizenship, service to the community and country and personal achievement.

Peter was not the only JROTC cadet credited with springing into action that day. Colton Haab, a junior at Stoneman Douglas, heard gunshots and ushered several dozen people into the JROTC room.

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There, he and other cadets grabbed Kevlar sheets used for marksmanship practice and held them up in front of the students huddled together.

"We took those sheets and we put them in front of everybody so they weren't seen, because they were behind a solid object and the Kevlar would slow the bullet down," Colton told CNN the day after the shooting. "I didn't think it was going to stop it, but it would definitely slow it down to make it from a catastrophic to a lifesaving thing."

Peter's cousin, Aaron Chen, described him to the Miami Herald as brave, while Peter's best friend, Gabriel Ammirata, said he was "funny, nice and a great friend."

"He's been my best friend since third grade," Gabriel told the Herald.

Gabriel planned to celebrate Chinese New Year with Peter the day after the shooting at the Chinese restaurant Peter’s family owns, the Herald reported. Instead, he and members of Peter’s family started the new day frantically searching for information on Peter’s whereabouts.

The teen’s parents speak Mandarin and very little English.

Jesse Pan, a neighbor of Peter’s, has been sharing information about him and his funeral arrangements on social media. Peter’s family has a funeral planned for Tuesday at Kraeer Funeral Home, in Coral Springs.

An obituary on the funeral home's website reiterates Peter's ultimate sacrifice in the face of danger.

"He loved being in the JROTC and planned on attending (the) United States Military Academy at West Point," the obituary read.

Peter loved the Houston Rockets, hip-hop music, playing basketball and spending time with friends. He also aspired to become a world-renowned chef.

He is survived by his parents and two younger brothers.

A GoFundMe page created to help his family with expenses exceeded its $15,000 goal in just three days.

"Originally, proceeds (were) going to the help with misc. expenses, but the family has decided that they want to donate the money to Stoneman Douglas for their ROTC program," the page creator, Chino Leong, wrote. "They want to ensure that future generations of kids are taught the same values that the program has instilled in Peter."

Cox Media Group