Frankel Jewish Academy's Patriots Club Salutes War Veteran, Staff Sergeant Michael Holtz

In celebration of Veterans Day, Frankel Jewish Academy’s recently established Patriots Club recently held a special tribute for veterans and active duty service members. FJA also honored local service member, Staff Sergeant Michael Holtz, who shared his experiences with students. Holtz, an active Air National Guardsman and U.S. Air Force veteran, grew up in nearby Rochester Hills and served as a munitions systems specialist in Iraq in 2004 and in Afghanistan in 2011.

“When we landed in Kirkuk and the hatch of that C-17 airplane opened, we smelled the oil fields burning and a 19-year-old soldier informed our commander that the base had just sustained an RPG attack. And I thought, wow, we’re not in Rochester Hills anymore,” Holtz told an enrapt audience.

When students asked Holtz whether he was scared to serve in combat zones, he answered without hesitation.

“Definitely,” said Holtz. “There were times when I was shaking in my boots. Everyone gets scared. What matters is how you deal with that fear. Either you let it take you on and take you over, or you take it on and take it over.”

Holtz told students that his military service had introduced him to people from diverse backgrounds and given him an appreciation for the freedoms and comforts that he enjoys back at home. It also paid for his college education – today Holtz is a financial advisor – and made him part of “a tight-knit fraternity” that few can call their own.

The son of a U.S. Army colonel and one of four brothers who served a combined 12 tours of combat, Holtz said he was “proud to have served, and proud to have the ability to continue to serve. People used to ask my mom how she could let her four sons serve, but my father always said, ‘Why shouldn’t my sons do their part?’ And I feel the same way.”

FJA, located at 6600 West Maple Road in West Bloomfield, is Michigan’s premier college preparatory Jewish high school. FJA is an intellectually open high school, committed to halacha (Jewish law), devoted to the State of Israel and dedicated to the values of the United States of America. Known for its caring teachers and small class size, FJA welcomes students from public and private schools as well as all denominational backgrounds. FJA’s Flexible Tuition Program helps assure every qualified student can attend our school. For more information call 248-592-5263, or visit www.frankelja.org.