The US Military Academy at West Point, New York, is posthumously admitting Peter Wang, a victim of the February 14 mass shootings at a Florida high school, to its Class of 2025.
The 15-year-old Chinese-American is credited with helping students and teachers escape after former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire with an assault weapon. Seventeen students and staff died in the rampage.
Wang, a member of the US Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, had dreamed of attending the prestigious US Military Academy in New York state.
“He was a JROTC cadet who was last seen, in uniform, holding doors open and thus allowing other students, teachers, and staff to flee to safety,” Chad Maxey, a local West Point alumnus, told Tribune News Service. “Wang was killed in the process. His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area. Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial.”
West Point will reportedly confer a letter of admission, along with honorarium tokens, to his family. He would have been eligible to apply for West Point’s Class of 2025 had he lived.
Wang’s funeral was on Tuesday. He has two younger brothers. His parents own a restaurant in Pompano Beach, Florida.