Push-ups, uniforms & drills: JROTC cadets share about program

The BHS Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program prepares students for military careers and teaches leadership, physical fitness, citizenship and more. The class at BHS is led by instructors Lt. Col. Megown and Sgt. Maj. Oufnac and has 56 students this semester.

Several current JROTC cadets recently spoke about why they joined the program and what it entails.

The cadets had different reasons for joining.

Pictured are cadets Link Welch, Jenna Kingdon and Capt. Zoey Whitmire. Photo by Scarlett Vanderlinden

“Because I thought the uniforms looked cool and I needed a little bit more PT (physical training),” said Capt. Zoey Whitmire.

“Future military service and leadership,” Jenna Kingdon said.

“Just exercise,” Link Welch said.

“Because Christian (Adair) wanted me to, and I went to their summer boot camp and I liked it,” Mila Acebal added.

Best friends Mila Acebal (left) and Christian Adair (right) are cadets in the BHS JROTC program. Photo by Scarlett Vanderlinden

“‘Cause i wanna get stronger and plan on going to the Marine Corps after high school; also, do great things,” Logan Jablonski said.

Logan Jablonski (left) and Ethan Stjernvall are cadets in the BHS JROTC program. Photo by Scarlett Vanderlinden

“I joined for leadership qualities and to improve my mental health,” Ethan Stjernvall said.

“Wanted something to do,” Landon Macpherson said.

“I did it to work out and I really wanted to build confidence,” Vanessa Perez said.

Shown are cadets Landon Macpherson and Vanessa Perez. Photo by Scarlett Vanderlinden

Adair said she wanted to follow her brother, who joined the program back in 2014. ”So I joined the program to beat him. Now it’s like a family, so now I stay in the program.”

But there are some things they would change if they had to, including how everyone else views the program. They said it’s a lot different being in JROTC than looking in from the outside.

They would like to communicate better about the program, because it’s not what people think it is – people shouldn’t perceive the cadets as mean and yelling like they’re going to get onto other people.

They also shared their first experiences after joining the program.

“Well, I joined a little bit late, so I joined on a PT day, so I wasn’t that great; like, at the end of the PT day ,everyone was just really supportive,” Whitmire said.

“I was scared; it was less scary than I thought it would be,” Kingdon said.

“My first experience when I met the old (former) colonel with the sarcastic humor, had me rolling, to be honest,” Welch said.

“I thought it was a little tough, but now it’s smooth sailing,” Macpherson said.

Now Whitmire just looks after the cadets and makes sure everyone is doing the right thing. What they do inside the program is team building, leadership and working out a lot.

Whitmire is the captain in JROTC. Acebal is a squad leader for fourth block second squad; she’s also part of the Raiders team.

Adair is a senior squad leader and she is third squad leader for the fourth block. She is the senior swordsman in the cake-cutting ceremony, and she calls all commands on deck.

The Raiders is a teambuilding group. A normal Raiders team is a group of eight to ten people, and they can have more cadets on the team, who can switch out. They run through obstacles together and run miles. They push trucks, flip tires and do knot tying.

The Color Guard is somewhat similar, but it’s a team of four people minus the workout and the exercise. It’s a rifle drill and flag drill team. They go out on the football field for games and stand for the national anthem.

The cadets said they get a lot of public speaking, snacks and a little bit of PT. You learn how to do a lot of stuff that they don’t teach you in school, they said, like how to properly write an email or how to do a resume. You gain respect for yourself and your peers and your parents.

JROTC cadets do exercises during their fourth block class. Photo by Scarlett Vanderlinden

The students said they would like more people to join the program. Just try; don’t quit in the first couple of days, wait like a week or two, and see how you like it, they advised. The first couple of days can suck, but after a week or two, you start having fun.

They also have an opinion on the new colonel.

“He’s really nice; I feel like the newer cadets like him a lot,” Whitmire said.

“Definitely a lot different,” Kingdon said.

“He is very friendly and snacks,” Welch said.

“He definitely makes you feel welcomed,” Acebal said.

“I feel like I’m on an even level with him because I had met him in the past; he is actually one of the nicest men I met,” Adair said.

“He’s pretty nice – I enjoy his personality,” Stjernvall said.

“He’s very out there,” Jablonski said.

“Calm, and he wants the best for all of us,” Perez said.

“I think he’s pretty good,” Macpherson said.

The cadets shared a few favorite quotes about life that have stuck with them:

“Pain is good, but extreme pain is extremely good,” Whitmire said.