On August 5, 2026, two familiar faces from our Princeton City Schools hallways represented Sharonville Police Department at one of the highest honors our nation can bestow: laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
School Resource Officers Jim Salyer and Joel Altman from the Sharonville Police Department were part of the delegation to honor military veterans at the ceremony.
Officer Joel Altman has also written several children's books, which our students love to read. Officer Altman's advocacy for veterans reaches well beyond his patrol duties. After noticing how many veterans slip through the cracks upon returning home, he built a veteran response program within the Sharonville Police Department. As a Coast Guard veteran and former federal police officer himself, he drew on support from the Ohio Attorney General's Office, which encourages similar efforts statewide, and rallied fellow officers with military backgrounds to join him. Through the program, Altman has helped veterans track down military records and medals, arrange home repairs and wheelchair ramps, and connect with services through the Cincinnati VA. His work has also uncovered exploitation, including a home-health aide who was stealing thousands of dollars from a veteran in her care. He has also helped organize Honor Flights to Washington, D.C. for local veterans and coordinated the PCMS Martin Luther King, Jr. care supplies for veterans.
Since 1937, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded around the clock, in every kind of weather. Being invited to lay a wreath there is a rare honor extended to only a select number of visiting groups each year. We are extremely proud that two of our SROs are highly respected to earn this distinction.
For the students and families who see Officer Salyer at Princeton High School and Officer Altman at Princeton Community Middle School, around our buildings every day, this honor is a reminder of the depth of service behind the badge. Long before they were watching over our schools, they were serving in uniform, and now they have carried that legacy to one of the most sacred sites in the country.
Princeton City Schools is proud to call Officers Salyer and Altman part of our Viking family. Thank you for representing our district and our nation, with such distinction.
Every Student, Every Opportunity.
