Quam Williams-Thompson watched the Wagener-Salley High School Veterans Day program Friday with a mixture of pride and sadness.

She spent four years in the Navy and that experience, including a deployment to Iraq, meant so much to her. But there she also lost her husband, George Thompson, who died in a non-combat situation in March 2008. They have two children - Cameron, 5, and Gabrielle, 2.

"He sacrificed his life while doing something he loved to do," Williams-Thompson said. "I got teary-eyed during the Fallen Comrades part of the program today."

Williams-Thompson left the Navy last year and is now living in Aiken with her children. She is a popular substitute at Wagener-Salley, where she graduated in 2001. Her parents, Fred and Linda Williams, and other relatives still live in Wagener.

She attended college after high school then enlisted in the Navy in 2004. Williams-Thompson enjoys spending time in her hometown and her old school. The cadets, including her cousin, Deonte Williams, clearly respect her.

"She tells me I should go into the Army or Navy," Williams said. "She tells me I have good leadership, and, coming from her, that means a lot."

Wagener-Salley didn't get the JROTC program until a few years after Williams-Thompson graduated. She would have enjoyed that but is delighted with the cadets, especially the large number of girls.

"It's exciting to see all of them in ROTC," she said. "They can do just as much as the boys. We're contributing to the war effort, too."

At some point Williams-Thompson hopes to return to the Navy. She feels she owes that to her husband and other fallen comrades to finish what they started.

"We're still at war," she said. "We can't forget about the troops who are over there."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.