Character in command
Area JROTC cadets honored for service, leadership
-
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank leads the JROTC Appreciation Day event in front of the county courthouse in Clinton last Wednesday. At her side is the keynote speaker for the celermony, state Rep. Rick Scarbrough. - G. Chambers Williams III
-
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank leads the JROTC Appreciation Day event in front of the county courthouse in Clinton last Wednesday. At her side is the keynote speaker for the celermony, state Rep. Rick Scarbrough - G. Chambers Williams III
Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets from Anderson County, Clinton and Oak Ridge high schools were honored in a ceremony last Wednesday in front of the county courthouse in an event led by county Mayor Terry Frank.
Members from all three schools marched around the courthouse and stopped in front of the building on North Main Street in Clinton for recognition during the fifth-annual JROTC Appreciation Day program.
Participating were the Navy JROTC programs of Anderson County and Oak Ridge high schools, and the Air Force JROTC program of Clinton High School.
The Oak Ridge Navy JROTC presented the colors for the ceremony, and Oak Ridge Cadet Michael Finstad performed a rifle drill before proclamations were presented to representatives from each high school’s JROTC unit.
“I want you to know that your efforts are appreciated,” Frank said in her address to begin the program. “I recognize you are going above and beyond. I see and note your work in our communities – your acts of charity, your volunteerism, your dedication and service. I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you.”
Keynote speaker was state Rep. Rick Scarbrough, a former longtime Clinton police chief.
“Leadership isn’t about the title you have, the rank you wear, or how many people report to you,” he told the assembled cadets. “It’s about how you treat people, how you handle responsibility, and what you do when things get difficult.
“The lessons you’re learning in JROTC aren’t just about preparing you for military service, they’re about preparing you for life,” Scarbrough said, adding that discipline and character are just as important out of uniform as they are while in uniform.
Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton and Property Assessor John K. Alley Jr. also participated in the ceremony, leading an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, respectively.
Frank presented a proclamation of thanks to the three units.
The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps is a voluntary high school program of instruction, administered by the U.S. Department of War through the various military units.
“The program is meant to instill students with the values of citizenship, service to country, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment,” Frank said.
Anderson County High School’s Navy JROTC program was established in 2001 as the first program in Anderson County.
The Clinton High School Air Force JROTC was established in 2011, and the Oak Ridge High School Navy JROTC followed in 2017.