Conroe ISD board honors two men who serve the country, district

CONROE, Texas -- The Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees gave special recognition to Sgt. Jesse Benavidez and Gerrit Rickwalt for being called to Active Duty and serving our country at the December Board meeting.

Sgt. Jesse Benavidez, Conroe ISD Assistant Natatorium Coordinator, has been in the Army Reserves for 10 years and he recently returned from being gone for a year, with nine of the months being in Afghanistan. Serving as a mechanic in the Army, Benavidez was part of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) route clearing patrol while in Afghanistan.

Lt. Cdr. Rickwalt, Conroe High Astronomy teacher and Conroe High graduate, served on Active Duty in the Navy from 1999-2005. Once returning to Conroe, he affiliated with the Navy Reserve, where he has served in various positions. While serving active duty in Africa for ten months in 2010-2011, he was assigned as the Executive Officer of the Joint Operations Center for the Combined Joint Task Force. Their mission in Africa was a complex operation that aimed to prevent terrorism planning and operations in the region from reaching our homeland.

Dr. Chris Hines, Deputy Superintendent of Schools, proudly introduced these two men who have not only affected many lives in Conroe ISD, but also lives throughout the country. Mrs. C.J. Haynes and Mr. John Husbands presented the mean each with a plaque and thanked them for their service.