Freshman Ammon Moore Jr. met President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C with his father Sergeant Major Ammon Moore, Sr. who received the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This award is bestowed to individuals, families, and organizations for volunteering hundreds of hours helping through the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

Before his father received the award, they took a tour of the White House along with other military families but getting in was not easy.

“Getting into the White House was complicated,” Ammon said. They experienced security checks and had to go through procedures. Both father and son had three background checks and had to go through metal detectors. “I could see the snipers on the other building pointed at the door,” he added.

After all the checks and procedures, they went around on a tour where Ammon saw artifacts and pictures from when the White House was built. After walking around he and his father stopped in the President’s office. The big group was about to take a picture when the President walked in and jumped in the picture.

“President showed up out of nowhere and took pictures with us,” Ammon Jr. said. Ammon gave Mr. Obama a coin that his father gave to him and the President gave Ammon another coin in return. “I didn’t even know the President was going to be there,” Ammon said.

Afterward Ammon and Mr. Moore, Sr. went to go see the opening of the African American Museum of Art and Culture. There they saw people such as Will Smith, Patti Labelle, Michelle Obama, and more.

Pamela Wye-Hunsinger, his second block art teacher, heard this story along with the rest of his classmates when he came in after being absent one day and talked about how he had met the President.

“I was so surprised when I heard this because he’s very low key. I didn’t know this about him and then you see the picture it’s like ‘wow,’” Mrs. Wye said
Meeting the President for Ammon and his father was a thrilling experience.

“This was truly an extraordinary once in a lifetime experience that I am extremely thankful I was able to experience with my family,” Mr. Moore, Sr. said.
Ammon Jr. appreciated what the President was doing for not only his father but soldiers in general.

“I thought it was pretty cool that he was actually appreciating some warriors especially the ones that were wounded.”