This week, on the 18th of November, marks the one-year anniversary of the death of US Army SFC (Ret.) Miguel Ortiz, his wife, his mother in law, and his 15 year old son, Michael Ortiz Uceda; leaving behind their second child, Ángel Ortiz Uceda, the sole survivor of this tragedy. SFC Ortiz, Michael, and Ángel are Bison, as am I, and as are the thousands of other alumni of the American Military Academy (AMA). I decided to write this in remembrance of Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Miguel Ortiz and his family and in dedication to our alma mater, the American Military Academy because there is no other community that I am a part of that has had a greater impact on my life than this one. The tragic death of SFC (Ret.) Ortiz and his family is not the first, nor, unfortunately, the last loss that our community has and will face. We've lost administrators, we've lost teachers, and we've lost students; however, if there is one thing that I have learned and experienced by being a part of this great community is that we will persevere, we will endure, and we will always come out on the other side just as strong or even stronger than we were before. This is my American Military Academy; these are my fellow Bison.

The American Military Academy is a private school (pre-K through12) in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico that was founded by Col. Ramón Barquín in 1963, which has adopted its mission to "develop within our students the spiritual, democratic, and civic values the promote the continued transformation of our society." I joined the American Military Academy in the '08-'09 school year as a ninth grader after transferring from my previous school, Baldwin School of Puerto Rico. I was very hesitant the first couple weeks of school or so, but immediately felt a familial sense of community throughout the school and began to find my place at the AMA. I began to create close bonds with friends that I still hold a close and dear relationship with, I joined the US Army Junior ROTC program, in which SFC Ortiz was one of the Army Instructors charged with creating better citizens, I ran for Student Council for the Class of 2012 Vice President position, and I continued to get involved with multiple other extra-curricular activities.

As I look back to my four years at the AMA, I remember all of the wonderful moments, from the minute and insignificant ones to the life changing ones, that I was able to experience. I remember going every day to the school's little snack store that we know as the "tiendita" and buying a cheese empanadilla (empanada) and a coke and enjoying our 15-minute snack break that we had. I remember all the plethora of activities that I took part of as a cadet in the Junior ROTC and preparing for the Command Federal Inspections and the military parades we would prepare for the student body. I remember planning countless fundraisers for our class in order to raise as much money as we could in order to have an amazing prom and planning countless events for all the other extra-curricular programs that my friends and I were a part of. Even all the times that students would just stop by the Nurse's office to just hang our with Miriam, our school nurse.

Our school is relatively small, but grand in the dedication and love that we had for the community. We were private, but had a large public impact in the surrounding communities and throughout Puerto Rico. We aren't perfect, but we always strive to better ourselves and do good to those around us. The American Military Academy had a huge impact on my life and developed my leadership skills to levels that I never thought i could reach, developed my morals to a place where my heart felt content, and helped me create and develop some of the most important relationships that I hold dearest to this day. Due to all of this, I wish to give the following 'thanks' to some of the many groups of people that influenced my life in any and all ways.

Thank you to the administrators for making it your mission to help develop better students and citizens for our country and for taking that mission to heart and also for developing and expanding the materials taught and methods of teaching that you provide for us.

Thank you to all the supporting staff and faculty at the AMA for doing just that, supporting us; Providing support with morale, endearment, and great advice that comes from a place of experience and from your heart.

Thank you to all of the amazing and first-class teachers that dedicate their lives to educating and influencing your students' lives, including mine. I know there are moments where you are tired and feel like if it's even worth it to stay teaching, but believe me, you have a major impact in our lives and how we make decisions and I, looking back, would never take for granted the sacrifices you teachers make for we students.

Thank you to all of the friends and acquaintances that I was able to form and be part of because they helped me grow and I was able to learn something significant from each and every single one of them.

And thank you to my mother, a second grade teacher at AMA, and the rest of my family, some of which are also alumni and members of our community, for pushing me to transfer to the American Military Academy and for always believing in me and the things I want to do. Without you, I am nothing.

All of you have motivated me and continue to motivate me to want to give back and serve our community as much as I could possibly do. All I can hope and wish for is to one day be able to give back to our community just as much as all of you have provided and sacrificed for us throughout all of your years of service to the American Military Academy!

This week, we mourn the deaths and celebrate the lives of our fallen Bison with great love and sincerity in our hearts. However, we also remember that the members of the American Military Academy community are a single entity with the strength and endurance of a large herd of Bison.
¡Somos Bisontes y anadmos siempre en MANADA! - "We are Bison and we always travel as one herd!"