Students offer Veteran's Day tribute for alumnus

PLANTATION, Fla. (WSVN) -- Ahead of Veteran's Day weekend, some South Florida fifth graders honored the life of a fallen naval officer.

Lieutenant Matthew Lowe lost his life during a flight training mission last year. Now, current students at Mirror Lake Elementary School are honoring him, even though they never knew him. However, an indelible link unites them, as Lowe was a student at Mirror Lake.

Pamela Lowe will never forget the last phone call she had with her son. "I said, 'Matt, I love you very much.' He says, 'Mom, I love you, too.'"

A day after that conversation, on April 7, 2011, his F-18 fighter jet would crash in a field just about 30 miles outside of Fresno. "Matthew was just a person who went for what he wanted," his mother said.

During the ceremony, students learned about his life and dedication to the country. His commanding officers called him "11" because, on a scale of 1 to 10, they said, he went beyond. They called him ambitious and fearless, characteristics those who knew him said he exemplified all his life. Annie Glick, Lowe's former kindergarten teacher, said, "Matthew was a leader, even in kindergarten he took charge. He would get the children together ... and he wanted to be my helper."

"He would always go to bed dressed so that he would be ready in the morning to get to school," said Lowe's mother.

During the tribute, students watched a video presentation and also learned about other veterans and their families. Lowe's mother hopes the students learn what it means to devote your life to something meaningful. "There's something in this life that all of us can do," she said, "and it's something that can live on forever. We're just here only for like a moment in time."

His picture will hang near a flag, in a hallway, as students enter the school.

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