The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) visited Barker and Kreuger Middle Schools to provide a familiarization of the JROTC to each school’s 8th graders prior to them scheduling their courses for the 2017-18 school year. The Marine Corps requires that MCHS have a minimum of 100 students enrolled. The program currently has 103 cadets.
The visit started with a course overview by the Senior Marine Instructor, Major Tom McGrath. The cadets then demonstrated two of the events of a military drill competition, armed basic drill and armed exhibition drill. They then put on a mini military physical fitness competition, showing the tug-of-war, fireman’s carry, stretcher relay, and the dizzy-izzy. Cadet Captain Arturo Moreno, the commanding officer, and Cadet First Lieutenant Pauline Lutton, the executive officer, followed by telling the 8th graders what the JROTC has meant to them. Both cadets emphasized the personal relationships they had developed during their time in the program. The session ended with a question and answer period.
“When I look at these cadets, I know that every one of them will always have my back,” said Moreno. Lutton had similar comments, stating “these are the best friends that I have made during my four years in high school.”
“These demonstrations are very important to us,” said McGrath. “I greatly appreciate the principals of both schools allowing us to interrupt their academic schedule and present a course that can be beneficial to so many students.”
Master Sergeant Jeff Benak, the Marine Instructor, hoped that the 8th graders and their parents realize the benefits a student can obtain as a result of taking JROTC. “Besides the leadership skills that are applicable to any career that students obtain, there is the advanced promotion in the military and the ROTC college scholarships. This amounts to a significant amount of money.” He also added that MCHS has the only JROTC in LaPorte County.
MCHS MCJROTC will close out January by providing Color Guards for the home basketball game on January 28th and the LaPorte County Veterans Court graduation on January 31st. For the month, the JROTC will have done 7 Color Guards and 5 other community service projects. Additionally, the Drill Team competed in a military drill meet in Aurora, IL. The Drill Team continues to prepare for their February drill meets in Arlington Heights, IL on the 4th and in Indianapolis on the 25th.