In the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, there has been a renewed focus on school security. While administrators are busy determining the most appropriate steps to take, one servicemember has taken it upon himself to stand guard, according to NBC affiliate WSMV News in Nashville, Tennessee.
Staff Sgt. Jordan Pritchard is standing in full fatigues but without his weapon in front of Gower Elementary School, where his children go to school. Although nobody asked him to do it, he says that providing a sense of safety in such a fragile environment is important.
"I feel like this is something I had to do," he told WSMV.
Even though he remains unarmed, Pritchard hopes his presence can bring comfort to families and children at the school.
"What this uniform represents, the hope it brings, is larger than any weapon that I would ever need," Pritchard told the news outlet.
The gesture by Pritchard is just the latest act of kindness in the wake of the shooting last week. On Twitter, for instance, the hashtag #26Acts has been trending to encourage people to do one good deed for each life lost.