JROTC is a leadership-based program that pushes you to be a better version of yourself. The LET (Leadership, Education, and Training) ones are surrounded by all the cadets that follow them. Some people in JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) actually want to go into the military, and that’s okay. It looks great on a resume for a job. 

¨I think it is a wonderful elective for students,¨ Sargent Haag (Staff Sargent) said ¨we offer them the 1 credit for the class during school and then we have a lot of after-school activities that we can actually give a .25 credit so that you can graduate early.¨

The JROTC program doesn’t make you sign up for the military. That’s only if you want to by the time that you’re a graduate. We are a student-led program. The instructors are available to help if the BC (Battalion Commander) wishes to attend Camp Williams. We have our instructors to help with that idea and see if it is possible. If you do join the military, it helps by giving you a higher rank and pay. 

Our leadership in the program consists of BC(Battalion Commander) LTC(lieutenant colonel) Martinez, XO(executive officer) MAJ(Major)  Wold, and CSM(command sergeant major) Deico. We also have our staff and we have the teams, and our instructors’ thoughts consist of Retired colonel Jeff Bruce, and SSG(Staff Sergeant) Haag. 

In JROTC, leadership refers to the role of influencing and motivating others, exemplified by a platoon leader or company commander, while staff refers to specific, task-oriented positions like S1 (admin) or S3 ( operations) that support the overall mission. Leaders direct and are accountable for their units, whereas staff officers provide specialized assistance, such as managing training schedules or supplies, under the guidance of the leadership.

Our staff is Captain Kammerman as S1, Watts and Captain Kammerman as our S2, 1LT(1 Lieutenant) Haag as our S3, Sargent Talavera as our S4, Hunter as our S5, and that’s all of our Staff. They all have different jobs to keep the program running smoothly for the rest of the cadets. 

• The S1 is responsible for human resources, personnel management, and general administration support for the cadet battalion. 
• The S2 is the intelligence and security officer, responsible for physical security, managing intelligence and information related to training, and advising the commander on security matters and potential threats or changing environmental conditions, such as terrain, weather, and upcoming events. 
• The S3 is the Operations and training officer, responsible for planning and executing all battalion training, operations, and special events, including parades, ceremonies, and competitions.
• The S4 is the Supply/logistics officer, responsible for managing, maintaining, issuing, and keeping records for all U.S. government property, including uniforms and equipment. 
• The S5 is the public affairs officer, responsible for publicizing the program, managing fundraising and special events, maintaining contact with media, and updating unit records and social media. 

We have certain events that happen for us so that we can be a higher rank in the program. Our awards and promotion night happens three times during the  school year, and we also have field trips, we have a change of command, and a national awards ceremony that happens at the very end of the school year. 

The Awards and promotion night happens in the auditorium all the cadets are encouraged to be in their Class A uniform. The whole point of the Award ceremony is to bring forth knowledge and appreciation to the people who are on the stage and receiving  those achievements. The promotion part of the ceremony is to also show the cadets that are ready to take on the path of their new rank. 

The change of command and national awards ceremony takes place on the football field and in the auditorium of the cafeteria. The change of command ceremony is where we say goodbye to our old BC and say hello to our new BC, which can be a happy thing or a really sad thing for the battalion. After we are done with the change of command, we go into the national awards ceremony. The national award ceremony is where a bunch of groups of veterans come together, and they pick a cadet to get the award that they have. 

JROTC offers many opportunities both during and after school. ¨We offer the in-school class a credit, we do marching, discipline,  how to respect your elders, and then after school.¨ SSG Haag said ¨We have plenty of we call them teams, we have raiders, color guard, orienteering, archery, marchmanship, drill. All the teams go to competitions. We can keep the kids busy from 2:30 to 4:30.¨

The teams do a bunch of other activities, color guard are the things that happen right before football games and soccer games. Raiders and orienteering are our active and physical teams that we have. Archery and marksmanship are the teams that we go up to the range for. 

¨I am currently doing raiders and I want to join color guard.¨  said Cadet McDonald (she doesn’t have a rank, she is a LET 1). Cadet McDonald said ¨It works your body out, like I said, it works you out really hard, it gives you more credits.¨ 

During our recent competitions for orienteering, teams placed in first for beginners and had a team in advanced place for 2nd. The school’s JROTC program has a raiders team, orienteering team, a color guard team, archery team, marksmanship team, and we have a drill team. All of the commanders and XOs for their thoughts are all really good, and they know what they want to do with their team and where they want the team to go.

JROTC builds a lot of camaraderie, such as most cadets getting nicknames

The program was established in 1916 because of the National Defence Act of 1916. The 1916 act included an expansion of the Army and the National Guard, the creation of an Officers’ and an Enlisted Reserve Corps, and the creation of a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. The President was also given expanded authority to federalize the National Guard, with changes to the duration and the circumstances under which he could call it up.

We have a variety of cadets in the program, cadets that are active in everything, and then we have cadets that are only really there for the credits that the class can give you. The program can teach you a variety of things that you would like to know and things that might not help you now, but will help later in life for some people.

¨I’ve learned how to put up with people, that’s probably the biggest one that i can give to JROTC is what its taught me there is people would never talk to, never work with, never even want to look at, that i have to in work with in JROTC and i have to learn how to corporate with them as them being a leader or me being a leader and making a projects succeed and putting what ever i feel resentment or anything to the side so that way we can accomplish our goal and succeed in our mission. ¨ Said by LTC Martineze.

The benefits of the JROTC program are endless and can help you with anything you need help with like being more confident with speaking to others in a confident tone.