Jordan Pritchard, a former Marine, has assumed a post protecting a local Nashville school. But he’s not official security -- his call to watch over the kids and teachers inside stems from his role as a father.
On Sunday night, the father of two decided to bring his uniform out of retirement and stand guard at Gower Elementary School, his children's school in Nashville, Tenn., according to newschannel5.com.
"If you are able and capable of doing something, you have the responsibility to act," Pritchard told the news outlet.
Even though Wednesday was his final day at the volunteer post, students and parents have been overwhelmed by the former Staff Sergeant’s gesture. They have tearfully thanked him with words, cards and pictures, he told newschannel5.com.
“I feel this is the least I can do as a parent,” he told the news outlet, citing how the local police force is tied up and can’t take on school security at the moment.
PHOTOS of Pritchard. Story continues below:
Marine Dad Volunteers To Stand Guard Outside School
Since the tragic shooting on Dec. 14, when Adam Lanza killed his mother at their home and then killed 26 people inside Sandy Hook Elementary School before taking his own life, parents across the country have questioned their childrens’ safety at school, news outlets report.
"It's awfully sad that we're at this state - that you no longer can feel safe about your children walking into a building. But that's where we are now," Barbara Frazier, the school’s principal told WSMV.
And although the tragic shooting took place hundreds of miles away from Nashville, the former Marine believes there’s a universal lesson to learn from the experience.
"We have to live this life for other people,” he told newschannel5.com. “That's the only way that happiness and true peace and hope will come back to our nation is when we all come back together and love each other."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mentioned the incorrect date of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting.
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