Leadership. Patriotism. Citizenship. All of these make up the foundation of JROTC. JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. It gives high school students the chance to acquire basic military knowledge and leadership skills while helping them to develop good citizenship and patriotism. It can get a little competitive, also. Our JROTC program here at Tunstall offers several staff positions. They have a battalion commander, Allen Cardwell III, an executive officer, Michael Walker, and a command sergeant major, Cherish Adkins. Each officer has a big responsibility and something that they are all especially good at.
This year, the battalion commander is Allen Cardwell III. It is his first year as commander. His rank is a lieutenant colonel–one of the highest ranking in the battalion. This is his fourth year in the program. His favorite thing about JROTC is “the relationship that he has with the people that he works with and being able to lead, guide, and motivate others for a better purpose.” When asked why he joined, he said, “I joined to give myself a better structure and to motivate myself to do better in life.” He wants people to know that “joining this wonderful organization does not mean that you have to go into the military. You will learn core values for life and how to live as an adult.”
Michael Walker is the second ranking officer in the battalion ranking as a Major. He is the executive officer who supervises, directs, and coordinates the staff to ensure that the commander’s desires are understood and achieved. He has been in the program for three years now. When asked what his favorite thing about this program is, he says that “seeing cadets dressed nicely in their uniforms makes me happy, and I like the drill team as well as helping people in need.” He joined the program to motivate himself to be a better person. He is always eager to participate in events that help charities and people in need.
Cherish Adkins is the command sergeant major coming in as the third ranking officer in the battalion. She is also known as the commander’s “right hand woman.” Cherish has been in the program for three years and her favorite thing is “competing in the drill meets.” With her experience, someone interested in JROTC wouldn’t hesitate to ask for her advice. This is what she had to say: “no matter how hard it gets, always try to do things to your fullest potential, and when things get hard, someone will always be there to pick you up.” A quote that inspires her is: “The world is a cruel place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing” (Albert Einstein)
The JROTC battalion also competes in various competitions, such as drill & ceremony competitions and rifle competitions. They just recently succeeded in passing the JPA (Joint Program of Accreditation) inspection, which happens every four years. During the JPA inspection, the cadets go through several vigorous exercises, such as presentations, drill movements and many more things. Then, they have judges that judge them and give them points for all they do. At the end, they reveal whether the battalion earned a gold, blue, or white star. The last time they did this inspection, they achieved the highest award which is the gold star! Each cadet proudly wears a gold star above their name plate on the right side of their uniform.
There are also some other staff positions that help support the battalion. The personnel officer is Victoria Wade. Her job is to maintain the qualification records and personal files on all cadets. Nick Irby is the Securities officer. His job is to inventory rifles for their rifle team. John Branch is the training officer. His job is to make training schedules for the battalion. Riley Webb is the supply and logistics officer. His job is to make sure the supply room is clean and to create a clothing and equipment record for each cadet. Lastly, the public affairs officer is Aaliyah Shearin. She is responsible for making sure all cadets are informed of events, and she also publishes slides for the TV outside the JROTC office and decorates the bulletin board. There are many jobs involved in this program, and each student has a big responsibility.
This program is a very great asset to our clubs/organizations here at school. These officers show their hard work and dedication to this program every single day!
