Less than a year after catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River claimed 119 lives in Kerr County, including nearly 40 children, Kerrville Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Brent Ringo stood beneath the vaulted ceiling of Washington National Cathedral on Friday morning and told the nation what neighbors serving neighbors looks like in the worst hour imaginable.

Ringo was one of four speakers invited to address the theme "Voices of Modern Courage: The Pursuit of Justice" during "We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident," an interfaith service celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence.

His remarks placed Kerrville, a community still navigating unimaginable grief, squarely on the national stage at a moment when the country is simultaneously marking a milestone birthday and reckoning with tragedy close to home.