Classmates petition for military burial for Florida school shooting hero JROTC cadet

The lasting memory of 15-year-old Peter Wang will be of him holding doors open to allow students, teachers and staff to flee the deadly Valentine's school shooting in Parkland. Florida.

Wang, a member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), was wearing his uniform on the day of the shooting during which he lost his life. Classmates from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are now seeking a military burial to honor the young JROTC hero.

"He was pointing the door open for other people to escape and then he was struck by the bullets," classmate and friend Aiden Ortiz told ABC station WPLG.

"I want people to know he died a hero," the teen added. "He died saving many people."

Ortiz and fellow classmate Rachel Kuperman have created a petition on the White House website "We The People" in hopes of honoring their fallen friend with military honors. By Monday, the petition has received over 22,000 signatures. It needs 100,000 signatures within 30 days to receive a response from the White House.

Wang was one of 17 victims of alleged 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz. Students who survived the attack have vowed activism to provoke change in gun control and mental health laws.

A demonstration in Washington called the "March for Our Lives" is being organized for March 24 by students of the high school. Other demonstrations have also been planned by students around the U.S.