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https://www.holmcenter.com/media/jrotc/Sept2016AFJROTCNewsletter.pdf

September 2016

HQ AF Junior roTC

Dear AFJROTC Cadets,

I want each of you to know that as an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) cadet, you are part of something truly incredible! Through AFJROTC, you are learning and will learn important things that will help you be successful in life. Living a life of purpose, integrity, service, excellence, and dedication to serving something bigger than yourself is the path to true success and happiness in this life. Each year, you collectively do hundreds of thousands of community service hours. That is a great example of dedication and selflessness! Your volunteer work and your work in your units is powerful and you should be very proud of all you do in your units, school, community, and nation through that service.

I wanted to personally tell each of you that I am very proud of you! Each year, all 120,000+ of you complete invaluable community service for our nation. As a team, you do over 1.6 million hours of community service each year. In fact, you got very close to 1.7 million hours in 2016. I want each of you to think and talk about the positive impacts in your school, community, and our nation that come from all your hard work. All of you should be incredibly proud of that amazing accomplishment. Also, think about how good it made you feel and the pride you felt to dedicate your time, talents, and hard work toward the worthy causes you selected. There is always a sense of pride and accomplishment when you selflessly do something for others and the result of those efforts make positive impacts in other people’s lives. There is nothing more rewarding in life than to give selflessly and see the positive outcomes from your efforts. Well done! This school year the AFJROTC goal is 1.7 million community service hours, and I know you will reach that goal easily.

Now more than ever before, our nation needs you to step up and be humble examples of true character, leadership, and teamwork. I also wanted to tell each of you to stick with this great program because not only will you make great friends and find a place to belong, you will be part of a true team. You will learn important life lessons about how to lead people by example and how to be excellent citizens of character for our great nation.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be successful in life? I would like to humbly give each of you some points to consider that I hope you will discuss with each other that I have learned in my life and career in the Air Force which have proven true over and over again. These truths are timeless principles and it’s now time for

In This Issue...From the Director ............................ 1

From the Deputy Director ...............5

Instructor Management Corner .....6

Operations Update .........................7

Instructor Highlight ....................... 12

News & Noteworthy ...................... 14

Unit News .......................................25

Cadet Success Profile .....................28

Colonel Woods AFJROTC Director

From the Director...to the Cadets

CHeCk us ouT on AFJroTC.CoM

CoMing soon!!!!!

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From the Director...me to ensure they get passed to each of you, our next generation of leaders. I hope that these help each of you and challenge you to be the very best that you can be in life. You will be successful in life if you live a life of true character and truthfulness (Integrity), keep a heart of service that considers others before yourself (Service), and if you always do your personal very best at whatever you are doing (Excellence). Excellence is not perfection…but is giving a perfect effort every single time! It is doing your very best, every time.

Being a person of true character who is honest and tells the truth, a person who is trustworthy, dependable, hardworking, humble, encouraging, and a person who genuinely cares for other people are key character traits that highlight true leaders. Each of us should work each day to be a person like that.

Of course, none of us are perfect, but we should always try to make the very best decisions we can and avoid the common pitfalls in life that will certainly keep us from achieving our dreams. If you have made some previous bad decisions, put them behind you. Move forward in full commitment to being the person of character you truly desire to be in your heart. We all know the negative things that are no good and lead to no good. Those things can and often do take you off the path to success. I want to encourage each of you

to reject those negative attitudes and actions and fully focus on positive things in life that will help you reach your goals. Dream big! Commit to it, be a person of character and hard work and….never quit! Never give up on yourself. You will reach your goals!

By living a life of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do, you will have a very bright future in whatever career you choose following high school or college, based on your unique talents and abilities. Know that I am personally very proud of each and every one of you! Also know that you have good people in your school, community, and in our nation who truly care for you and want you to do well in life and make great decisions that positively impact not only you, but all of those around you.

I hope each of you have a wonderful new school year. Do your very best and learn as much as possible this year. I hope all of you use this letter to thoroughly discuss with each other what is mentioned in the words above. I look forward to seeing all the incredible things you do all across our nation and overseas. Keep up the incredible work. Well done cadets!

Humbly Yours,

BOBBY C. WOODS, JR., Colonel, USAF

AFJROTC Strategic Plan2017 - 2021

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From the Director...to the InstructorsAFJROTC Instructors,

Welcome back! I know all of you are excited about the new school year and all that is ahead. We are too! As we all start fresh with this new school year, I want to provide a few thoughts for you to consider. I offer these thoughts with the hope they will encourage each of you.

Being a part of AFJROTC means that all of us are part of something truly incredible! In the words of General Robin Rand, “..this program saves lives!” Your work and investment in the lives of your cadets, each other, in your units, schools, & communities is not only positively influencing lives and changing lives for the better, it is “saving lives!” Know that you are part of something great.

As you already know, understanding “what” to do, and “how” to do it are important if we are to succeed and make positive impacts. But truly understanding “why” we do what we do reveals not only our purpose, but gives clarity about what we are all working hard to achieve! Understanding “why” helps to order and prioritize everything else.

As an instructor, YOU are building lives and creating a legacy! Your cadets will never forget your example of leadership, positive attitude, and compassion. They will never forget you! I never forgot my Navy JROTC instructors (1986-87) from Pascagoula High School in Ms. or their example! Make that legacy and the cadet’s memory of you a “great one” that always reminds them what a “true leader” looks like. A leader of integrity, service, and excellence! You are not only leaders and teachers, you are in effect coaches, mentors, & wise council for an entire generation of our youth. Please know that your practical example of leadership when marked by humility, approachability, and credibility…gives hope! HOPE is an incredibly powerful thing. Give it liberally and know that your example of what a true leader looks like, is so very powerful. That fact may get lost in the day to day tasks in a unit and all that goes with it, but never forget your purpose and “why” we do what we do and what vision we are all working to achieve in and through this great program.

Our mission is to “Develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community.” Everything we do should be directed at achieving that mission. But all of us know that our mission… is more than just a mission. Our true purpose is to “make as great a positive impact in the lives of our cadets, our schools, our communities, and our nation as we can.” Our focus, attention, and hard work is all about our cadets! I know each of you realizes the great opportunity you have to make positive differences (impacts) in the lives of your cadets. Your diligent work and the long hours will not return void. Lead, teach, mentor, guide, care for, help, challenge, and inspire your cadets! It’s all about the cadets! They will respond very positively to your genuine care and WILL achieve any high standard you set. Many of you will be the most positive & stable influence they have in their life. Thank you for your dedication and selfless work to build citizens of character for our nation. Thank you for your investment in them. I want to encourage each of you to continue to be a living example of leadership, compassion, integrity, service, and excellence. You are making a difference for our nation and I am grateful to each of you for wanting to make those positive impacts in the lives of our cadets!

Our AFJROTC program is a highly effective, inclusive, diverse, and very popular program that not only succeeds in developing citizens of character for America, but it is truly unique in its scope given the over 120,000 participating cadets (which is over 1/3 the size of the regular Air Force) in our high school citizenship program that is 58% minority and 38% female! The “actual presence” versus “virtual” presence of AFJROTC units and cadets as well as daily outreach and outreach potential in close to 900 communities across the United States and overseas is of great value to our nation and the US Air Force.

Each year, our great cadets and instructors accomplish over 1.6 million hours of community service! Last year, 1,659,032 community service hours were completed! Well Done!! That great achievement represents huge positive impacts! Our goal this year is 1.7 million community service hours. It also generates tremendous goodwill toward your unit, school, and the Air Force and establishes lasting connections with communities, many of which are not near US military bases. AFJROTC cadets are the “Face of the Air Force” in hundreds of communities all across the US and overseas. Your HQ is very proud of each of you, thank you for all you do!

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From the Director...Upcoming Opportunities: I want to personally remind all units about some very exciting “free” opportunities that could lead to all-expense paid trips for winning teams! Please take a look at the following links and register your AFJROTC team ASAP. If you are looking for exciting STEM related competitions, register today for these opportunities. I encourage “maximum” participation with these STEM competitions! StellarXplorers and CyberPatriot are open to any high school team, not just JROTC. Let your schools know about these opportunities as well.

AFA StellarXplorers STEM “Space” Competition: http://www.stellarxplorers.org/

AFA CyberPatriot – STEM “Network Defense” Competition: http://www.uscyberpatriot.org/

Acad Bowl (JLAB) – 2 “open rounds” - top 8 teams go to DC for FREE!: http://www.cofcontests.com/

AFJROTC Strategic Plan: Expect to see our Strategic Plan very soon. It will be published on-line at: http://afjrotc.com/index.php?menu=JROTC Also, expect to see some nice improvements to the webpage to better present all the great information.

Reimbursements: HQ JR has been working closely with Support Directorate Finance (SDF) to eliminate the backlog of submitted reimbursements and to fix the process problems that led to delays that negatively

impacted units. I am happy to say that “the whole HQ team” has worked hard and improvements have been made. We will continue to work the process problems and make needed adjustments. But we need your help, please follow the finance guide (Ops Sup 8) to the letter and provide all needed documentation the first time! That will ensure fast and accurate reimbursements and GPC payments!

Unit Evaluations (UE): I regularly see correlations between failing UEs and “less than robust” Unit Self- Assessments. A well run / good Unit Self-Assessment will ID many problematic areas. We like to say that the UEs are an open book test and we want every unit to earn an “Exceeds Standards.” The Ops Update from the RDs in this issue has more info on the UEs! Steady improvement has been seen! Well done.

Feedback: We are always interested in your positive and constructive feedback. If we can do better in an area, please let us know. The HQ is working hard to be customer focused and responsive to your needs and we want to hear from you! If you want to pass along a “well done” or “have you considered this” we appreciate those as well. http://ice.disa.mil/index.cfm?fa=site&site_id=1265

Thanks for all you do and have a great new Academic Year! Welcome back!!

Col Woods

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From the Deputy Director...

All, hello from the desk of the Deputy!

Up front I want to say thank you for all you do for the youth of our great nation.

I am reminded of the starfish story…making a difference one starfish (life) at a time. Again, thank you.

Spend! Spend! Spend! Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): spend/obligate your

allotted funds as soon as possible understanding if it isn’t spent/obligated it can and likely will be taken by higher headquarters. For all of the non-Finance Personnel out there it is important to understand un-obligated funds are extremely vulnerable, and this year is a prime example of that. In March higher headquarters took $2.2M in O&M from our budget, which at the time was 100% of our operating funds for the balance of the Fiscal Year. Luckily we were able to fight for a return of $1.2M. The reason the funds were taken is irrelevant….the main point is the funds taken had not been spent or obligated. This coming FY we plan on pushing out 100% of your O&M as soon as the funds are released. Plan on spending/obligating 100% of your O&M by 1 June (does not include CLCs) at which point we will pull it back. The timing is important. Each FY we lose hundreds of thousands of dollars due to a compressed timeline that starts at the MAJCOM and flows down to our level. Essentially losing resources we could put to quality use for our units and cadets in the form of multi-copters, rockets, drill rifles, etc. The 1 June cutoff provides just enough time for our headquarters to obligate the funds prior to them being pulled off by the Holm Center Commander on 1 Aug each year.

This year multiple units failed to recognize “Proposed” does not equate to “obligated.” Once you have

“Submitted” to headquarters the funds are essentially “obligated.” We will no longer be able to support requests that fail to follow the procedures outlined in the Finance Guide or those units that fail to meet the timeline. Our resources are too scarce to lose due to poor adherence to our policies.

This is not intended to be negative, in fact next year is looking very positive in terms of funding…as long as we execute our funds prior to 1 June if not earlier. Please trust we are working hard to generate the maximum amount of financial support we can for each of you.

Advocacy. Col Woods’ efforts to advocate for the program at every opportunity are starting to pay dividends but, to an exponentially greater degree, advocacy from the grass roots from nearly 900 units, would have a dramatic effect. When the opportunities arise or when you take the initiative to create opportunities to advocate for your/our program please involve your cadets. Col Woods has put together a fantastic boiler plate briefing (afjrotc.com and in WINGS) which is intended to be “customized” to fit your unit and be presented to nearly any audience to include your school’s senior leadership, your School Board, your Superintendent, your local Chamber of Commerce, VFW, etc. Advocacy at every level will elevate the understanding of our program and have a positive impact on the overall resource support for our program.

Cadet Access. Our contracted WINGS Programmers have made amazing progress to date with more anticipated in the future. The long requested Cadet Access is here and has been fielded. Several modules are complete and several are on deck to be completed in the very near future. If you haven’t already, please take a look at the Cadet Users Guide and share it with your cadets. This initiative is foundational to a cadet run, cadet led unit and it benefits the instructor team by shifting a significant administrative burden to the rightful owners. Cadet access will continue to grow and refine as it matures and have a lasting impact on the leadership development of your cadet corps as they take ownership.

My best to each and every one of you.

Mr. Scotty Lewis AFJROTC Deputy

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Written by Mr. David Richerson, Chief, Instructor Management

Greetings everyone! I hope the start of the new school year is going well for each of you. We had a very busy summer here at Maxwell including JICC 2016. JICC continues to improve and the feedback

from those who attend are the driving force in that improvement. Across the board, the survey results were 97% or greater with many good ideas being suggested! This year we hosted nearly 200 JICC student-attendees, but the 40 Seminar Leaders made it all go smooth. We could not have done any of it without them! If any of you are interested in potentially being a Seminar Leader for JICC 2017, please get with your Region Director.

New policies are now in effect for instructor transfers. “Open Season” is no more! Existing instructors who meet all the prerequisites in Chapter 17 of AFJROTCI 36-2001 may apply for any vacancy at any time up to 1 June. On 1 June each year (DD Form 2767 or not) we will consider an instructor who is not already in the transfer process to be “on contract” for the upcoming year at their current school. These new policies were put in

effect to increase stability for our units by minimizing instructor gaps. Chapter 17 is clear and waivers to any of the prerequisites will be considered on a case-by-case basis when strong justification is present. All interested instructors must receive specific approval from Holm Center/JRI to apply for a transfer. For many, a transfer will not be possible until completion of three years at the current school. Transfers will only occur in the summer months, once the school year is over. We will provide schools with vacancies a balanced list of existing instructors and inexperienced instructors, based on our normal hiring cycles. It will be up to each school to 1) hire the experienced person and wait until summer to get them, or 2) hire an inexperienced person immediately. Any transfer-approved instructor who accepts an offer at another school must send in a competed AFJROTC Form 98 within 15 days of accepting that offer. Only then can we advertise for the pending vacancy the transfer would create. Please familiarize yourself with Chapter 17 to see all of the specific policies.

Resignations. To resign from a current position, instructors must submit a written letter of resignation to their principal with an effective date of end of employment and provide a courtesy copy to Holm Center/JRI. To remain as a viable applicant for future AFJROTC instructor positions, a termination AFJROTC Form 98, with an overall rating of “Satisfactory” in Section IV and no rating of “Needs Improvement” in Section II, must be submitted to Holm Center/JRI within 15 calendar days. Please note: Any resignations effective during the school year will be grounds for withdrawal from the instructor pool. Humanitarian or hardship situations will be considered on a case by case basis by Holm Center/JRI.

We hope you and your cadets have an exciting year!

Mr. David Richerson Chief, Instructor Management

Instructor Management Corner

AFJROTC STRATEGIC PLAN AND VISION TO REALITY

• Develop citizens of character - accomplish our mission!• Seek to restore stable and required programmatic funding• Optimize HQ manning and organizational structure• Recruit, train, and retain a quality instructor corps• Develop a full spectrum instructor recruiting plan• Maintain a quality, current, focused curriculum, thats fully accredited• Provide quality, timely, and customer focused, HQ support and guidance• Develop a program outreach, marketing, and communications plan• Leverage technology solutions• Strengthen program in resource constrained environment

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WELCOME BACK!

We hope everyone had a great summer and you all are ready to begin a new school year with energy and enthusiasm for our mission. Feel free to share this with your cadets and print/post it as appropriate. As always, we welcome your feedback. If you have any questions, please contact your RD. Thank you!

Here are several points that need to be mentioned as we start the new school year.

NEW PUBSThe new AFJROTCI 36-2001 is published in WINGS (Main Menu/Published Files/Directory/JROTC/AFJROTC Instructions and Guides). It incorporates the old 36-2002 and prior year AFJROTC Director’s policy letter. The Operational Supplement is also posted in WINGS (Main Menu/Published Files/Directory/JROTC/AFJROTC Instructions and Guides). There are updates posted to the Operational Supplement periodically, so ensure you and your cadets review both these publications and incorporate the most current information into your program.

UNIT ASSESSMENTS/STAFF ASSISTANCE VISITS (UE/SAV)The Assessment Checklist has been updated for AY 2017. It is in WINGS (Main Menu/Published Files/Directory/JROTC/AFJROTC Assessments). I suggest you print the “Assessments Checklist and Rubric” so you can see how each item will be evaluated. Attachments 3 and 4 in the “Assessments Checklist, Rubric and Attachments AY 2017” describe many items that need to be considered and the specific documents that must be presented to me during your evaluation. Please make sure you review both attachments.

SELF ASSESSMENTRemember you have until 15 March or 7 days prior to your scheduled UE/SAV (whichever is earlier) to have your Self-Assessment submitted in WINGS. This is one of the suspenses that must be met in order to qualify your unit for the DUA. Typically, units that do well on evaluations have their cadets deeply involved with the self-assessment. Consider allowing your cadets to run the checklist and bring back their findings to you. Have them print out a working copy of the self-assessment and give you an honest assessment of where they think the unit is in relation to the requirements. Double-check the accuracy of any findings and make notes on your copy of the checklist. Have it with all the other documents you present during your evaluation.

UNIT CHAIN OF COMMANDAs specified in 36-2001, 13.3. If anyone is unclear on this, please ask your RD directly. The SASI is the team captain and is ultimately responsible for the unit and its’ operation.

PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPSInstructors must communicate and work together as a professional team. Failing to work together is not an option. Do not say or do things to/with cadets that are inappropriate or that may generate the perception of inappropriate relationships.

UNIFORMSINSTRUCTOR UNIFORM WEAR. Instructors must wear the AF uniform as stated in AFJROTCI 36-2001, 13.4. Instructor uniform wear must be in compliance with the current AFI 36-2903. NOTE: No two-line nametags are authorized when wearing the AF uniform in AFJROTC.

CADET UNIFORM WEAR. Cadets must wear their uniform in accordance with all the requirements spelled out in AFJROTCI 36-2001, 6.1, and the Operational Supplement. If those documents do not specifically authorize an item to be worn, it cannot be worn.

UNIFORM WAIVERS. Uniform waivers for drill team/exhibition teams, etc. are submitted in the Waivers module. If your cadets are wearing something other than those items specifically authorized in 36-2001 or the Ops Supplement, you need a waiver.

Operations Update...from the RDs

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PROGRAM STATUS REPORTEach Unit will complete the PSR twice (10 Oct and 10 Feb). The window to verify your PSR is between 1 October to 10 October and 1 February to 10 February. You will not be able to see the “Enrollment Verification/PSR” screen in WINGS until 1 October. Be sure all of the cadets who were added, removed or dropped are adjusted on your class rosters appropriately before you verify your PSR. NOTE: Once you add a cadet to class roster and they drop, do not delete them. Use the “Dropped” or “Removed” function on the specific cadet to handle that scenario.

CURRICULUM GUIDEBe sure to read the Curriculum Guide and CMPF. The Curriculum Guide tells you all about the AFJROTC curriculum and how to properly execute it. The CMPF tells you what in curriculum is current. Both can be found in WINGS under Published Files/Directory/

JROTC/AFJROTC Curriculum. OBSOLETE BOOKS: All obsolete text books (with the exception of the old Instructor Guides) must be removed from your WINGS account and disposed of in accordance with the Curriculum Guide.

CURRICULUM PLANEach Unit must have a written, 7 year curriculum plan (3 prior years, current year, 3 future years) which visually shows the curriculum you are using each academic year (by semesters for 4x4). Plan must include the specific unit/chapters being taught.

40/40/20 MIXThe 40/40/20 mix must be achieved during each semester/term. Be ready to show how you do it. Traditional schedule Units cannot teach AS one

semester and LE another semester. This is not an issue for 4x4 Units as they will achieve a full academic year in a single term.

CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGYAFJROTC has entered into a new contract with Turning Technologies

and all Units will be receiving the new Turning Point Cloud (TPC) receiver and a presenter card. This will be the latest update to the in-class technology system for use with AFJROTC Curriculum. Use of the AFJROTC provided technology is mandatory for academic lessons. This system has many benefits for you and your cadets in the classroom. Each instructor must become proficient in the use of TPC/NXT/CPS. If you need additional equipment for your classrooms, let me know and then place your order in WINGS (Logistics Module, Create a New Order).

WINGS USERS GUIDES/VIDEOSNearly all questions on how to perform an operation in WINGS can be answered by using these guides and watching the videos. These can be found in WINGS under Published Files/Directory/WINGS User Guides & Videos/JROTC Guides and Videos. The WINGS Users Guides are titled “JROTC Users Guide Excerpts” part 1 and part 2.

PHYSICAL FITNESS TESTUnits must perform, (and load into WINGS) five exercises (one from each activity number) under PFT

Event within the first 45 calendar days of school and then again within the last 30 days of school. In addition, units must then run the PFT Assessment (Mass) to get each cadet’s composite fitness score. The Health and Wellness ribbon criteria uses the WINGS-generated PFT (Mass) composite score.

EMAIL PASSWORDSIf you do not know the User ID/Password for your afjrotc.com email you will need to contact “Email.Support@holmcenter.com.” Send an email from your school email account and they will reply with your user id and password for your afjrotc.com email.

WINGS LOCKED?If your WINGS account is locked, click on the “Forgot Password” link and you will be sent a new password to your afjrotc.com email. If you still have WINGS access problems contact Mr. Chris Shirosky (334-953-3050) via phone or email.

Operations Update...

2016

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UE TREND DATA FROM 2013 – 2016Thank you for all you do. Take a look at the UE trends slide below that shows an increase in passing UEs and a decrease in failing UEs! Well done, and keep up the superb work!

Frequently Identified Problem Areas from AY2016-2016 UEs

AFJROTC DEPARTMENT. AFJROTC must be a separate academic and administrative department of the school. The SASI must be the Department Head for the AFJROTC department and must have a seat at the table when Principal holds Department Head Meetings. HQ expects the SASI to attend/participate in these meetings. If your Unit falls under another department, you probably do not meet this requirement.

INVOLUNTARY ENROLLMENT. Students cannot be placed in AFJROTC involuntarily by the school. If the principal or guidance counselors place them in AFJROTC and the student does not want to be there, that is involuntary enrollment. Additionally, the SASI must be able to remove a cadet from AFJROTC at any time throughout the school year, based on our MOA and AFJROTCI 36-2001, 2.4.

STORAGE. Storage Facilities must be climatically controlled for the protection and care of the uniforms and must be a minimum of 400 Square Feet. (As your Unit enrollment increases in size you need to work with your school to obtain more space.)

TEAMWORK. Equal division of labor is expected. Each instructor must be a knowledgeable and effective primary/alternate on all Unit tasks and be proficient on all Unit tasks. This includes proficient use of WINGS and AFJROTC.com email.

TECHNOLOGY USE. Must be used effectively. In a couple of instances, AFJROTC provided classroom technology had never been used.

Operations Update...

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Canceled Exceeds Meets Meets w/ Disc Does Not meet Stds SAVs Total

SY 2012-2013 96 125 83 18 11 40 277 SY 2013-2014 12 120 100 32 24 48 324 SY 2014-2015 12 112 89 33 36 68 338 SY 2015-2016 30 125 106 40 26 52 349

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AFJROTC SY13-16 UE Assessment Summary

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WEAPONS/REPLICA WEAPONS. Several Units did not load their Sabers, air rifles or wooden replicas/cutouts into WINGS. Units must have all Daisy Drill Rifles, Air Rifles or any other replica weapons/wooden cutouts and ceremonial sabers loaded into WINGS. This might mean that you need to go to Logistics | Setup | Define Unit Items and create that specific item so that you can receive it into your Inventory.

APDE. Many old/obsolete/broken ADPE items on hand. The DRMO process can be difficult and awkward, but holding onto old equipment is taking up your valuable space. Mileage to DRMO is paid using your O&M allotment. The ADPE Inventory suspense is February 10 each year.

AF PROPERTY. Units must permanently physically mark Air Force equipment items as belonging to the AF. Mark all of your AF-purchased items as “Air Force Property”. Unit-created labels or stickers will not meet this requirement. In addition, the ADPE items must also have the Holm Center Accountability Label (the three barcode label). Last year, many Units only had the Accountability Label and was not marked as Air Force property.

UNIFORM INVENTORY. Uniform shelf inventory and WINGS must match. All cadets who have been issued uniforms must be reflected in WINGS and the hand receipts should match. Recommend regular inventory checks and update the system so WINGS has accurate data. Be sure to have 100% of signed hand receipts available. Hand receipts can be unit-created or WINGS-generated. Remember, the cadet’s signature/date is mandatory. A parental signature on the WINGS-generated hand receipt remains optional.

MPC LETTER. Must be current and attached in WINGS. When any name on the letter changes, a new one must be accomplished. (Keep in mind this is not the EC letter for ADPE.)

OUTDATED CURRICULUM. Get rid of it. If you want to keep the old Instructor Guides, that is fine. Be sure the Instructor Guides you keep are inventoried in WINGS.

SYLLABUS. Review AFJROTCI 36-2001 para 5.3 and the Curriculum Guide for the content requirements. Be sure each course has a syllabus and it meets all the requirements. (Include the specific units/chapters being taught). Cadets must have access to the syllabus for each course. Ensure the 40/40/20 mix is being obtained (as stated above, the 40/40/20 must be achieved in each semester or term as appropriate).

WELLNESS PROGRAM. Prior to a cadet doing any exercises, ensure the Parental Consent forms are completely filled out and WINGS is updated to reflect whether permission is “granted” or “withheld.” Ensure all 5 PFT events (one from each Activity number) are loaded into WINGS for all cadets that parents have given consent to participate in PT and a PFT Assessment (Mass) is ran in WINGS within the first 45 days of school. Several units did not have all of the consent forms on hand. Many units did not have their forms completely filled out – many missing the “yes/no” being circled granting permission. Several instructors did not have current hands-on CPR certifications.

CADET UNIFORM WEAR AND GROOMING. Female cadets with hairstyles that would not permit the cadet to wear a flight cap (Bulk, Braids, etc.). Male cadets with goatees, hair well out of standards. Male and Female Rank askew. Nametags not worn correctly (or at all). Wrinkled uniforms/dirty uniforms. A “No Hat Waiver” if required was not on file or in WINGS and alterations to uniforms did not have approved WINGS waivers (this includes the unit patch). Ensure you have your uniform standards spelled out in the cadet guide, detailing what the consequence is for not wearing the uniform, or wearing it improperly, and then ensure you and the cadet staff ensure the cadets at your unit uphold those standards. Never allow any cadet to wear the uniform improperly without making corrections.

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT. Review AFJROTCI 36-2001, para. 7.2.3 for what school and community service hours can be counted. Be sure you load your event data into WINGS | Events within one week of the event, and then check the completed box when the event is completed. Have your cadet’s think outside the box and encourage them not to rely on the same things year in and year out. Remember, the Unit awards criterion has a community service component.

CADET UNIT MISSION BRIEFING. Your cadet mission briefing should be a living part of your Unit. When a mission briefing is given, it must paint a picture of the Unit, addressing all the required aspects. Mandatory items are detailed in AFJROTCI 36-2001 para. 6-5, and Ops Supplement Chapter 1. Questions addressed in a good briefing include: Where do your cadets fit into the school? (Have the cadets brief how they stack up with school conduct i.e.; in-school suspensions, problem areas etc. What they do to help the school i.e.; Academic Performance what is the average GPA in JROTC compared to average GPA of school, what is graduation rate of JROTC compared to rest of school? What kind of PT program are your cadets running?

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What type of recruiting efforts are they doing in the HS and in the feeder schools? What school organizations/clubs are your cadets involved in? Let cadets develop the best presentation they can come up with then help them refine and improve it. Be sure to have them practice the actual briefing.

30-STEP DRILL. The 30 Step Drill Sequence must be led and performed by 2nd year cadets. You may have 1st year and 2nd year cadets in the formation when pre- coordinated per AFJROTCI 36-2001 para. 6.6.2.

CADET OWNERSHIP. Cadets who are motivated, enthusiastic and involved in all aspects of their program demonstrate ownership of the program. If it is evident that the instructors don’t afford /allow the cadets the opportunity to run the appropriate areas of the program (cadet staff meetings, cadet admin, logistics, PT, community service etc.) the overall grade will reflect that. Cadets should highlight their ownership during an evaluation.

ENROLLMENT ACCOUNTING. The Unit roster and class rosters must be kept current all school year. If

a cadet is removed or dropped during the school year, WINGS must be updated to reflect this. When you verify your PSR, your class rosters must be 100% accurate. Any cadets who were added, removed or dropped must be annotated correctly in WINGS (not deleted, but removed or dropped).

WINGS AND EMAIL USE. Regular use of WINGS and the afjrotc.com email is mandatory by each instructor. They are two separate systems. An instructor who fails to log in at least weekly may be placed on probation and/or earn his/her Unit a discrepancy. The afjrotc.com email is how HQ communicates directly with all AFJROTC instructors (not through school/personal email). Keeping up to date with both systems is critical for all instructors.

CADET GUIDE. AFJROTCI 36-2001 and the Operational Supplement describe what must be in your cadet guide. Update it each year as required, and include program opportunities, job descriptions, uniform requirements, promotion requirements, and ribbon/award criteria. The Cadet Guide must be readily available to all cadets.

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Instructor Highlight...

Columbus, NJ - At how many turning points in your life have you been offered a helping hand? Sean P. Hoggs tells us they were few and far

between in his autobiography, The Bastard Child: A Story of Hope, Resiliency and Perseverance (Author House Publishing).

Yet this powerful and gripping true-life story is not about surviving and succeeding on your own. Taking the reader from his abusive and turbulent childhood, through his struggles as a homeless teenager (in the violent inner city streets of Central New Jersey), to his incredible rise onto the national and international stage, Hoggs humbly and eloquently tells us why he chose to serve as a humanitarian and mentor. He believes everyone; regardless of age, race, socio-economic background, start or station in life, can triumph through education and that we can all use a helping hand.

If you ever hungered for an inspirational life story to help you overcome personal hardship or a challenge in life, The Bastard Child is a must read. “It is time,” Sean Hoggs says, “to tell our at-risk youth that fame and fortune in sports and entertainment is an unlikely prospect, however a good life filled with love and family is realistic, rich in satisfaction and within their grasp no matter where they start out from.”

“It is simply a story of hope,” Hoggs says. “After all, the odds are against becoming a professional athlete or music star. However, with an education, the percentages are in your favor to accomplish anything you want in life.”

Sean P. Hoggs is a decorated retired military veteran of over 24 years. He has served as both a commissioned officer and an enlisted member of the United States Air Force. He is a native of Plainfield, NJ and is currently a Senior Aerospace Instructor in his home state of New Jersey.

Named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 2007, he is a noted mentor and role model to inner city youth. An internationally recognized humanitarian, he is also proud to be a 2011 Hall of Fame inductee at the Plainfield, NJ High School. He currently lives in Columbus, NJ with his wife of 28 years and their son. They have four children in all, ranging in age from 18 to 30.

The Bastard Child: A Story of Hope, Resiliency and Perseverance Author House Publishing Available online at http://amzn.to/1dnvfYZ ISBN-13: 978-1491832868

THE STORY OF MAJOR (RET) SEAN P. HOGGS – SASI, NJ-20101

“THE BASTARD CHILD” AN UNWANTED, HOMELESS KID SHAPES TRAGEDY INTO TRIUMPH

“Named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 2007...

Major (Ret) Sean P. Hoggs – SASI, NJ-20101

https://www.holmcenter.com/media/jrotc/Sept2016AFJROTCNewsletter.pdf13

AFJROTC Description in “AF K-12 STEM Strategic Plan”

AIR FORCE JUNIOR ROTC (AFJROTC) CITIZEN DEVELOPMENT & STEM

The mission of AFJROTC it to “Develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community.” The AFJROTC program is a Title

10, high school Citizenship program that reaches over 120,000 cadets in close to 900 communities across the globe using 1,950 retired officers and non-commissioned officers as instructors. This congressionally mandated program offers a broad array of citizenship, leadership, academic, aviation, STEM, and related co-curricular opportunities for cadets.

The AFJROTC program has 58% minority and 38% female participation. AFJROTC is proud of its diverse and inclusive program, but the program diversity goes beyond ethnicity “and gender. The program operates in both inner-city and rural locations. Cadets in every socio-economic status participate and are provided opportunities they would never have without AFJROTC. Program curriculum is developed using 21st Century Learning Theories and AFJROTC is fully accredited by the AdvancED Accreditation Commission. AFJROTC teaches two science courses: Science of Flight and Exploration of Space. AFJROTC also provides a highly acclaimed career exploration course called (LE-300) Leadership Education.

STEM concepts are taught in the AFJROTC classroom and practiced in very popular and critical co-curricular activities. STEM tools like classroom Flight Simulators, Model Rockets, and Remote Controlled (RC) Aircraft have been used for years to enrich the learning opportunities and provide immersive learning / experiential learning tools that reinforce what is taught in the classroom.

In 2014, AFJROTC added a fun and exciting (STEM) oriented activity by giving RC Multicopters to a limited number of AFJROTC units. These hands on teaching and learning tools are used to not only reinforce STEM learning objectives but to enhance the program’s Aerospace Science Curriculum. The new AFJROTC Multicopter STEM initiative has captured the hearts and imagination of our cadets across the nation. Cadets are now able to put the knowledge they have learned in their math and science classes, including our own academic courses, into practice as they execute the fundamentals of Aerospace Science.

Given AFJROTC’s size and scope and because STEM is already an important component of what is already taught in AFJROTC, the partnership between AFJROTC and the “Air Force K-12 STEM Program” hopes to inspire even more of our youth toward these exciting career opportunities and service to the United States.

“It is incredibly impactful when you go out and talk to these kids and just see how smart, bright and capable they are, and all they are looking for is an opportunity and the StellarXplorer is a great example of those opportunities that are out there,” said Woods.

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AIR FORCE JROTC PARTNERS UP WITH AFA FOR STELLARXPLORER

COMPETITION42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published June 21, 2016MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala.

The Air Force Association is striving to increase participation in their third

annual StellarXplorers competition this tear by teaming up with the Air Force Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps headquarters. The new partnership will introduce the event to almost four times as many students compared to previous years.

The StellarXplorer competition is an AFA national high school space event designed to introduce youth to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM careers.

With the partnership between Air Force JROTC and AFA, the competition is now open to more than 890 Air Force JROTC units worldwide and up to 121,000 cadets. This year the AFA hopes for more than 100 teams competing, greatly increasing participation in comparison to last year’s 27 teams.

With the greater participation Air Force JROTC will bring, also comes the possibility of a more diverse demographic of competitors. Air Force JROTC is composed of

58 percent minority and 38 percent females.

Holm Center Air Force J R O T C Commander Col. Bobby W o o d s said the competi t ion fits well with the aviation and STEM c u r r i c u l u m they are already teaching in Air Force JROTC, and he is excited and

proud of the partnership of the two organizations.

The students will be given access to college-level online textbooks and material on space operations to prepare them for the competition. The scenario problems involve either placing a satellite into a specific orbit, designing a satellite with a specific

capability or launching a satellite on a specific launch vehicle.

A free-to-download computer simulation program, Systems Tool Kit, allows the teams to compete from their home bases until the national finals round held in Colorado.

The competition consists of three phases conducted virtually from the team’s home bases. The first phase is the qualification phase, which consists of two rounds. Each round consists of a scenario problem and a 20-question, open-book quiz. The top 30 percent of the teams will progress to the semi-finals round, where they must complete a 6-hour scenario problem. Teams that do

not qualify for the semi-finals round will finish the prestige round. Then the top ten teams will advance to the national finals competition in Colorado. The top teams will travel to the competition all expenses paid.

“It is incredibly impactful when you go out and talk to these kids and just see how smart, bright and capable they are, and all they are looking for is an opportunity and the StellarXplorer is a great example of those opportunities that are out there,” said Woods.

The registration fee is $200, however the fee is waived for all schools and Air Force JROTC units that fall under the Title 1, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides financial assistance to local educational agencies and schools.

In other ways to lessen the financial burden of participating, Woods said that Air Force JROTC has set aside funds to support 50 non-Title 1 schools and units.

Registration began May 1 and goes through until October 15. For more information visit www.stellarxplorers.org.

News & Noteworthy...

https://www.holmcenter.com/media/jrotc/Sept2016AFJROTCNewsletter.pdf15

News & Noteworthy...SIRIUS POTATOES WINS 2016 STELLARXPLORERS STEM COMPETITION

By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, / Published May 18, 2016 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFNS)

Sirius Potatoes, a team from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, California, recently won the StellarXplorers space system design competition at the Space Foundation’s 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

The StellarXplorers program, a space-focused science, technology, engineering and mathematics outreach competition, is designed to inspire and motivate high school

students to pursue studies and careers in STEM. The competition employs computer simulations for orbit generation and propagation, computer-aided system design, system performance assessment and budgetary constraints.

In her keynote address, Air Force Secretary Deborah

Lee James said, “This year, we saw StellarXplorers expand to 27 teams

across the globe and there are plans to expand further in next year’s competition. So needless to say, I think this is fantastic growth; the program is really catching on.”

Teams from across the U.S. and Germany completed the comprehensive curriculum and competed in three qualifying rounds throughout the school year to earn a trip to the national finals. The teams with the top 10 cumulative scores competed in the national finals in Colorado Springs during the symposium, which took place April 11-14.

The members of the national finalist teams were extremely diverse with a broad set of interests from a variety of backgrounds -- nearly 30 percent of the finalists were female; more than half emanate from minority populations; and four of the teams came from Title 1 schools.

“We always encourage Airmen to get out into the local communities and mentor students through our diversity and outreach programs,” said Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the Air Force STEM Advisory Council chairman. “StellarXplorers is energizing the next generation of space technologists and the Air Force is thrilled to be part of the program.”

For the final competition, students were required to define an optimal satellite orbit, choose spacecraft components, and select rocket boosters to meet a stringent set of mission requirements in an intense eight-hour period. The next day, teams were required to brief their solution to a panel of experts.

“StellarXplorers has broadened our vision on aerospace engineering with real-life situations,” said Regina Kim, the Sirius Potatoes team captain. “Our team performed exceptionally well and the competition allowed us to learn so much more about space, satellites and engineering.”

Full national deployment of the StellarXplorers program will occur during the 2016-2017 school year and the Air Force is helping to grow participation to at least 150 teams.

Airmen can volunteer to mentor a team and help inspire kids to pursue a future STEM career by registering for StellarXplorers III. Registration is currently open and will remain available until Oct. 15.

Maj. Gen. Roger Teague, director of space programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, presents an award to Sirius Potatoes from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., April 14, 2016, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kevin Gooder)

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The following teams competed in the 2016 StellarXplorers national finals:

• Huntsville High School, Huntsville, Alabama -- AFJROTC Phantom Panthers

• James Clemens High School, Madison, Alabama -- Jets Engineering

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Carson, Long Beach, California -- Carson 2

• Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, California -- Star Fleet (2016 2nd place)

• Palos Verdes Peninsula High School -- Sirius Potatoes (2016 national champions)

• San Pedro High School, San Pedro, California -- Coalition of Hardworking Aerospace Physics Students

• Rangeview High School, Aurora, Colorado -- Space Raiders (2015 champs; 2016 3rd Place)

• Vista Ridge High School, Colorado Springs -- Stellar Wolves

• Dixie High School junior ROTC, St George, Utah -- Star Flyers

• Kaiserslautern American High School, Kaiserslautern, Germany -- Galaxy Raiders

ALL STARS!

The AFJROTC Citizenship Program is an incredible program that not only positively impacts and changes lives, communities, and schools all across the US and overseas, and in the words of General Robin Rand, June 2015, “this program saves lives!”

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News & Noteworthy...

AIR FORCE JROTC UNIT WINS 2016 JOINT SERVICE ACADEMIC BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP

42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published July 01, 2016 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala.

A team of four Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from California bested thousands of other

competitors from across the globe to win top honors in the 2016 JROTC Joint Service Academic Bowl Championship, held in Washington, D.C., June 25-27.

The cadets from the Scripps Ranch High School AFJROTC unit in San Diego entered the first round of preliminary competitions several months ago along with more than 82,000 other cadets from more than 2,700 multi-service units.

The championship rounds at The Catholic University of America in the nation’s capital brought together about 90 remaining teams, or about 500 cadets, from the preliminary

competitions. The Air Force JROTC winning team scored 440 total points during the final round, beating its nearest competitors, a Marine Corps unit, by nearly 200 points.

This was the first time an AFJROTC unit has won the top title in the history of the competition, which is organized and executed annually by College Options Foundation, said Col. Bobby Woods, director of Headquarters AFJROTC at Maxwell.

“We are incredibly proud of Scripps Ranch High School Air Force JROTC team for their incredible win and becoming the champions,” he said. “The hard work they and the other cadets put into preparing for this competition year-round exemplifies the life lessons we try to instill in these young adults through JROTC. The life lessons of teamwork, positive attitude, hard work, and never quitting are things they take with them long after high school and make them better citizens, leaders, and people.”

Members of the Scripps Ranch High School JROTC team were Cadets Gracie Richards, Michelle He, Joonhyuk Lee and Jackwin Hui.

The annual competition is open to all 121,000 AFJROTC cadets and is one of several co-curricular activities that make the JROTC program much more than a classroom-only program. Military leaders present for the final round at this year’s competition and expressing their support for JROTC programs were Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Daniel Allyn, Army retired Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley and Army retired Maj. Gen. Wallace Arnold.

While in Washington, D.C., cadets took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour many historic sights and memorials, such as the Smithsonian museums, the White House and Congress.

A team of Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from Scripps Ranch High School placed first in the 2016 JROTC Joint Service Academic Bowl Championship, held in Washington, D.C., June 25-27. Pictured are Cadet Gracie Richards, Cadet Michelle He, Army Brig. Gen. Sean Gainey, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command, Cadet Joonhyuk Lee and Cadet Jackwin Hui. (Courtesy photo)

News & Noteworthy...

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William “Bill” Crawford was an unimpressive figure, one you could easily overlook

during a hectic day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Mr. Crawford, as most of us referred to him back in the late 1970s, was our squadron janitor.

While we cadets busied ourselves preparing for academic exams, athletic events, Saturday morning parades, and room inspections -- or never -- ending leadership classes—Bill quietly moved about the squadron mopping and buffing floors, emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets, or just tidying up the mess 100 college-age kids can leave in a dormitory.

Sadly, and for many years, few of us gave him much notice, rendering little more than a passing nod or throwing a curt, “G’morning!” in his direction as we hurried off to our daily duties. Why? Perhaps it was because of the way he did his job -- he always kept the squadron area spotlessly clean, even the toilets and showers gleamed. Frankly, he did his job so well, none of us had to notice or get involved. After all, cleaning toilets was his job, not ours.

Maybe it was his physical appearance that made him

disappear into the background. Bill didn’t move very quickly, and in fact, you could say he even shuffled a bit, as if he suffered from some sort of

injury. His gray hair and wrinkled face made him appear ancient to a group of young cadets. And his crooked smile, well, it looked a little funny. Face it, Bill was an old man working in a young person’s world. What did he have to offer us on a personal level?

Maybe it was Mr. Crawford’s personality that rendered him almost invisible to the young people around him. Bill was shy, almost

painfully so. He seldom spoke to a cadet unless they addressed him first, and that didn’t happen very often. Our janitor always buried himself in his work, moving about with stooped shoulders, a quiet gait, and an averted gaze. If he noticed the hustle and bustle of cadet life around him, it was hard to tell. For whatever reason, Bill blended into the woodwork and became just another fixture around the squadron. The Academy, one of our nation’s premier leadership laboratories, kept us busy from dawn till dusk. And Mr. Crawford... well, he was just a janitor.

That changed one fall Saturday afternoon in 1976. I was reading a book about World War II and the

tough Allied ground campaign in Italy, when I stumbled across an incredible story.

On September 13, 1943, a Private William Crawford from Colorado, assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, had been involved in some bloody fighting on Hill 424 near Altavilla, Italy.

The words on the page leapt out at me, “in the face of intense and overwhelming hostile fire... with no regard for personal safety... on his own initiative, Private Crawford single-handedly attacked fortified enemy positions.” It continued, “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, the President of the United States...”

“Holy cow,” I said to my roommate, “you’re not going to believe this, but I think our janitor is a Medal of Honor recipient.” We all knew Mr.

Army Master Sergeant William J. Crawford (Ret.), poses for a photo for a Denver Post photographer shortly before a Fourth of July parade in Denver, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Beverly Crawford-Kite.

William Crawford’s Medal of Honor Citation

LEADERSHIP AND THE JANITORby James Moschgat, USAF (Ret.)(Col (Ret.) Moschgat was Col Woods’ previous Group Commander back when Col Woods was “Capt Woods”.)On Patrol, Fall 2010 Issue

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Crawford was a World War II Army vet, but that didn’t keep my friend from looking at me as if I was some sort of alien being. Nonetheless, we couldn’t wait to ask Bill about the story.

We met Mr. Crawford bright and early Monday and showed him the page in question from the book, anticipation and doubt on our faces. He stared at it for a few silent moments and then quietly uttered something like, “Yep, that’s me.” Mouths agape, my roommate and I looked at one another, then at

the book, and quickly back at our janitor. Almost at once, we both stuttered, “Why didn’t you ever tell us about it?” He slowly replied after some thought, “That was one day in my life and it happened a long time ago.” I guess we were all at a loss for words after that. We had to hurry off to class and Bill, well, he had chores to attend to.

After that brief exchange, things were never again the same around our squadron. Word spread like wildfire among the cadets that we had a hero in our midst -- Mr. Crawford, our janitor, had been bestowed The Medal! Cadets who had once passed by Bill with hardly a glance, now greeted him with a smile and a respectful, “Good morning, Mr. Crawford.”

Those who had before left a mess for the “janitor” to clean up, started taking it upon themselves to put things in order. Cadets routinely stopped to talk to Bill throughout the day and we even began inviting him to our formal squadron functions. He’d show up dressed in a conservative dark suit and quietly talk to those who approached him, the only sign of his heroics being

a simple blue, star-spangled lapel pin. Almost overnight, Bill went from being a simple fixture in our squadron to one of our teammates.

Mr. Crawford changed too, but you had to look closely to notice the difference. After that fall day in 1976, he seemed to move with more purpose, his shoulders didn’t seem to be as stooped, he met our greetings with a direct gaze and a stronger “good morning” in return, and he flashed his crooked smile more often. The squadron gleamed as always, but everyone now seemed to notice it more. Bill even got to know most of us by our first names, something that didn’t happen often at the Academy. While no one ever formally acknowledged the change, I think we became Bill’s cadets and his squadron.

As often happens in life, events sweep us away from those in our past. The last time I saw Bill was on graduation day in June 1977. As I walked out of the squadron for the last time, he shook my hand and simply said, “Good luck, young man.” With that, I embarked on a career that has been truly lucky and blessed.

Mr. Crawford continued to work at the Academy and eventually retired in his native Colorado, one of four Medal of Honor recipients who lived in the small town of Pueblo.

A wise person once said, “It’s not life that’s important, but those you meet along the way that make the difference.” Bill was one who made a difference for me. Bill Crawford, our janitor, taught me many valuable, unforgettable leadership lessons, and I think of him often.

Here are ten I’d like to share:

1. Be Cautious of Labels. Labels you place on people may define your relationship to them and bind their potential. Sadly, and for a long time, we labeled Bill as just a janitor, but he was so much more. Therefore, be cautious of a leader who callously says, “Hey, he’s just an Airman.” Likewise, don’t tolerate the O-1, who says, “I can’t do that, I’m just a lieutenant.”

2. Everyone Deserves Respect. Because we hung the “janitor” label on Mr. Crawford, we often wrongly treated him with less respect than others. He deserved much more, and not just because he was received the Medal of Honor. Bill deserved respect because he was a janitor, walked among us, and was a part of our team.

3. Courtesy Makes a Difference. Be courteous to all around you, regardless of rank or position. Military customs, as well as common courtesies, help bond a team. When our daily words to Mr. Crawford turned from perfunctory “hellos” to heartfelt greetings, his demeanor and personality outwardly changed. It made a difference for all of us.

William Crawford poses with his statue in Pueblo, Colorado.

“.....it’s not life that’s important, but those you meet along the way that make the difference.”

Bill Crawford was a janitor. However, he was also a teacher, friend, role model, and one great American hero.

Thanks, Mr. Crawford, for some valuable leadership lessons.

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4. Take Time to Know Your People. Life in the military is hectic, but that’s no excuse for not knowing the people you work for and with. For years a hero walked among us at the Academy and we never knew it. Who are the heroes that walk in your midst?

5. Anyone Can Be a Hero. Mr. Crawford certainly didn’t fit anyone’s standard definition of a hero. Moreover, he was just a private on the day he earned his Medal. Don’t sell your people short, for any one of them may be the hero who rises to the occasion when duty calls. On the other hand, it’s easy to turn to your proven performers when the chips are down, but don’t ignore the rest of the team. Today’s rookie could and should be tomorrow’s superstar.

6. Leaders Should Be Humble. Most modern day heroes, and some leaders, are anything but humble, especially if you calibrate your “hero meter” on today’s athletic fields. End zone celebrations and self-aggrandizement are what we’ve come to expect from sports greats. Not Mr. Crawford—he was too busy working to celebrate his past heroics. Leaders would be well served to do the same.

7. Life Won’t Always Hand You What You Think You Deserve. We in the military work hard and, dang it, we deserve recognition, right? However, sometimes you just have to persevere, even when

accolades don’t come your way. Perhaps you weren’t nominated for junior officer or airman of the quarter as you thought you should -- don’t let that stop you. Don’t pursue glory; pursue excellence. Private Bill Crawford didn’t pursue glory -- he did his duty and then swept floors for a living.

8. No Job is Beneath a Leader. If Bill Crawford, a Medal of Honor recipient, could clean latrines and smile, is there a job beneath your dignity? Think about it.

9. Pursue Excellence. No matter what task life hands you, do it well. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “If life makes you a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper you can be.” Mr. Crawford modeled that philosophy and helped make our dormitory area a home.

10. Life is a Leadership Laboratory. All too often we look to some school or class to teach us about leadership when, in fact, life is a leadership laboratory. Those you meet everyday will teach you enduring lessons if you just take time to stop, look, and listen. I spent four years at the Air Force Academy, took dozens of classes, read hundreds of books, and met thousands of great people. I gleaned leadership skills from all of them, but one of the people I remember most is Mr. Bill Crawford and the lessons he unknowingly taught. Don’t miss your opportunity to learn.

“Semper Vercundus”

Private William John Crawford was a scout for 3rd Platoon, Company I, 142nd Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, fighting in Italy during World War II on September 13, 1943 -- just four days after the invasion of Salerno.

Crawford was a hero, lauded by peers for his actions in combat but was missing in action and presumed dead. Army Major General Terry Allen presented Crawford’s Medal of Honor posthumously to his father, George, on May 11, 1944, at Camp (now Fort) Carson, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It was later learned that Crawford was alive and in a POW camp. He returned to the United States after 18 months in captivity.

Crawford retired from the Army after 23 years and went to work as a janitor at the U.S. Air Force Academy so that he could remain close to the military. Master Sergeant William J. Crawford passed away in 2000. He is buried on the grounds of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Colonel James Moschgat, USAF (Ret.), is currently the associate dean of operations at the National Security Space Institute (NSSI) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Colonel Moschgat can be reached for comment at james.moschgat@afspc.af.mil This article has been reprinted with permission.

News & Noteworthy...

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AL-20171 DR. MAE JEMISON HIGH SCHOOL

“AFJROTC welcomes newly designated AL-20171 AFJROTC unit at Dr. Mae Jemison High School in Huntsville, AL. Dr. Jemison, has a very inspiring story and all of us are excited about the future of the school and the “new” AFJROTC unit.”

The beginning of the school year in Huntsville, AL, brought two new and exciting entities to Huntsville City Schools district. The first being the opening of a newly-built school, Jemison High School,

named in honor of Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut. Dr. Jemison, a native of nearby Decatur, AL, was also the first African-American female to fly into space, aboard the Endeavor s p a c e shuttle in 1992. Dr. Jemison attended the ribbon-cutting

ceremony on 2 August 2016, and addressed the administration, parents and students. She stated “I am truly honored to have my name attached to this educational institution that gives todays and future generations the foundation they need for success in whatever path it is that they choose.”

Along with opening a new school, HCS also stood up a new Air Force JROTC program, designated as AL-20171. Maj (USAF, ret) Melissa Lacey and MSgt (USAF, ret) Bradley Gudgel are the SASI and ASI, respectfully, for this new

program. The school year began with a 30% increase in JROTC enrollment from the previous Marine Corps JROTC program. AL-20171 hit the

ground running by offering CyberPatriot, Aviation Fundamentals program, a Rocketry (TARC) team, a Civilian Marksmanship (Air Rifle) team, as well as enough cadets to form 3 competitive drill teams, Color Guards and sabre teams.

Jemison High School boasts the first College Academy magnet program in North Alabama, and will have some of the best educational opportunities found anywhere, with a variety of career academies including cyber security and advanced manufacturing, complete with a titanium 3-D printer. The campus also has a 0.9 mile Greenpower racetrack where students will learn how to design, build and race electric cars.

News & Noteworthy...

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AFJROTC CADETS ATTEND GEN. FRANKS’ LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

By Phil Berube, 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published August 03, 2016MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala.

Two Air Force JROTC cadets from Utah were selected to attend the Four Star Leadership with General Tommy Franks program held in Hobart,

Oklahoma, July 9-15, 2016.

Cadets Cole Cutner and Jack Wright from Dixie High School, St. George, Utah, were among only 67 U.S. and international students selected to attend the weeklong leadership camp. Students are chosen based on demonstrated leadership abilities and outstanding character.

Four Star Leadership with General Tommy Franks is a partnership between the General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum and Oklahoma Christian University. Each organization is committed to investing in the next generation of leaders and to the Four Star Leadership mission of developing the kind of leaders who can solve problems and communicate solutions that will propel the world to greater peace, prosperity and mutual respect, according to the program’s website.

Col. Bobby Woods, director of AFJROTC, said “We are so proud of Cadets Cutner and Wright for their selection to this great camp as well as the other students. We know our cadets learned a great deal and represented the Air Force very well. This was certainly an opportunity of a lifetime and will be an experience they will never forget and will help to make them better citizens and leaders for our nation.”

Retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks last served as the commander of U.S. Central Command from 2000 until his retirement in 2003. He led the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of the country’s president, Saddam Hussein, in 2003.

Students selected to attend the program have a chance to earn more than $15,000 in scholarships and gain internships and receive letters of recommendation.

For more information on the program, visit www.FourStarLeader.com.

Air Force JROTC Cadets Cole Cutner (left) and Jack Wright pose with retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks at the Four Star Leadership with General Tommy Franks program held in Hobart, Oklahoma, July 9-15, 2016. The cadets were two of only 67 U.S. and international high school students selected to attend the prestigious program. (Courtesy photo)

AFJROTC COMING TO GREAT FALLS HIGH

Jenn Rowell, jrowell@greatfallstribune.com January 25, 2016

It’s been years in the making, but Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or AFJROTC,

is coming to Great Falls High this fall. “We’re pretty excited about this,” said Tom Moore, assistant superintendent for secondary

schools with Great Falls Public Schools. Great Falls high schools offer a wide spectrum of courses to prepare students for life after graduation, Moore said, and many of their students join the military. So officials started talking about how to prepare those students, and around 2008, Air Force officials approached the GFPS curriculum director about starting a JROTC program. But that was also a time of major budget cuts, and adding a

new program wasn’t in the cards, Moore said.

Over the summer, they were approached again by the Air Force and asked to submit an application to start a JROTC program in Great Falls. “In a military community, JROTC makes sense and it’s missing,” Moore said. Even if students don’t go into the military, the program teaches responsibility, discipline, task completion and

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other skills that help in any career they might choose, Moore said.

Col. Bobby Woods, AFJROTC director at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, said Montana was the last state without a program. “We’re incredibly excited to be opening in Montana,” he said. “We think it’s an outstanding fit.”

Part of the law that established the AFJROTC program requires that each service participate and they try to create a fair and equitable distribution across the county of their units, Woods said. The program was formally created in

the 1916 National Defense Act. “Usually once we start getting into a community and other schools start seeing positive affects, start seeing what these cadets start learning, we hear amazing stories of the impact on lives that comes from this program,” he said.

Nationally, the program has close to 2,000 instructors across 870 units with about 125,000 students. The new program in Great Falls will get support from the Air Force in the form of equipment, uniforms and whatever it needs to get started. The Air Force also provides the curriculum and reimburses the school district half of the instructors salaries. The school district will hire

two instructors, who must meet the AFJROTC requirements. Moore said they estimate the school district cost will be $35,000 to $40,000 annually. Moore said GFPS is working with the local military community, such as the Military Affairs Committee of the Great Falls

Area Chamber of Commerce, to help find funding. It’s also looking at grants and foundations to help fund the program. If it can’t find new funding sources, Moore said

they would reallocate some existing funding to get the program started. That doesn’t mean any jobs in the district will be affected, Moore said. “We’re going to get creative in the way we fund that,” Moore said.

Woods said the military presence in Great Falls was part of their reasoning to approach GFPS to start JROTC here. “Getting into a

community that already has appreciation for

military and is supportive of military, we find those units typically do really well,” Woods said. It’s also helpful for military students who may have been part of JROTC at other schools and then their parents get stationed at Malmstrom AFB. Woods said having military bases nearby can also open partnership opportunities for students to see the military in action. “When cadets get a chance to see that, it just opens their eyes. It makes them realize how important teamwork really is,” Woods said. “Not one person is overly important; everybody is important to make the mission happen.” Woods participated in JROTC and then continued with

ROTC in college. “I still remember my instructors,” he said.

There is no obligation to join the military with the JROTC program, Woods said. Instead, it’s a citizenship program, like the Civil Air Patrol program already in place

in Great Falls. “We believe that the things they’re going to learn through this program are going to help them no matter what career they end up choosing,” Woods said. “I think it’s degrees of good that come from the program.” But, if cadets chose to enlist after high school, has completed at least three years of JROTC and completes basic training, they’ll come out as an E2 or E3, when most would come out of basic training as an E1. That means a higher rank and higher pay grade from the start for those who have three years or more of JROTC versus those enlist without that background.

Heather Hoyer, GFH principal, said the soft launch of the program in the fall will include two courses and once they fully launch, they need to keep 100 students in the program to keep the unit. Hoyer said they’ll be explaining the program to students this week and hope to get feedback from them. She said they’ve been getting positive feedback from parents who are glad to see the program at GFH.

For now, the program will only be at GFH, which was targeted because it’s a Title 1 school, meaning it has a large number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, Hoyer and Moore said. The Air Force has data showing the JROTC program is successful in Title 1 schools at keeping students in school and improving graduation rates, Moore said.

(Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo/Sgt. Anthony J. Kirby)

“Getting into a community that already has appreciation for military...”

News & Noteworthy...

GOLD VALOR AWARD,AY 2015/2016

FL-043 Cadet Jacob Ursin

SILVER VALOR AWARD,AY 2015/2016

CA-954 Cadet Steven Del Nero IIFl-20065 Cadet Vincent Elio Fl-20065 Cadet Brett NofzigerFl-20065 Cadet Rhi-Anne DeRyckeFl-20065 Cadet Billy Hubbard Fl-20065 Cadet Cameron IngrumIN-061 Cadet Jarrett LetsonMS-932 Cadet Brelynn Hudgins SC-20063 Cadet Jacob SteelySC-20063 Cadet Keifer StantonTX-20018 Cadet Trevor NoelTX-082 Cadet Jarrett Haynes

Cadet Jarrett Letson from IN-061 receives his “Silver Valor” award! Pictured with Col Bob Benning (SASI) and some of the great cadets in the Corps at Jeffersonville High School, in Jeffersonville, IN.

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AMC GENERAL VISITS AFJROTC SUMMER LEADERSHIP COURSE

42nd Air Base Wing, Public AffairsPublished July 12, 2016MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala.

The director of operations for Air Mobility Command recently visited more than 240 Air Force JROTC cadets taking part in a summer cadet leadership course in West Virginia.

Maj. Gen. Jerry Martinez was the guest speaker and reviewing official for the graduation parade for the “Mountaineer Cadet Officer Leadership School,” comprising of 18 JROTC units across six states, held at the Concord University campus in Athens, June 19-25.

“The cadets and instructors were very appreciative of the general’s interest in MCOLS and of Air Force JROTC as a whole,” said retired Lt. Col. Lyndon Williams, senior aerospace science instructor, AFJROTC Unit TN-20022, Sullivan South High School, Kingsport, Tennessee. “His visit made for a very memorable end to an outstanding week.”

This is the 14th year for the West Virginia event, which promotes leadership, teamwork and military protocol. For a full week from sunup to sundown, the 241 cadets took part in physical fitness, uniform and room inspections, academics, drill and ceremonies, and various confidence courses. Cadets who have previously attended MCOLS and were nominated by their home instructors were given the opportunity to return as cadre, who are tasked to execute all operational aspects of MCOLS.

Martinez participated in the end-of-course picnic and field day where he met the cadets, answered questions and took part in the MCOLS tradition of signing cadets’ T-shirts. The next day, he joined the cadet corps for breakfast, sitting down with as many cadets as he was able. Later, he was the guest speaker at the graduation parade.

The MCOLS is but just one of the many such activities held across the country by AFJROTC units.

Major Gen. Jerry Martinez (center), the director of operations for Air Mobility Command, poses with Air Force JROTC cadets and was the guest speaker for the graduation event for the ‘Mountaineer Cadet Officer Leadership School,’ held in Athens, West Virginia, June 19-25. (Courtesy photo)

“This year, AFJROTC units conducted over 300 summer cadet leadership courses that involved an estimated 55,000 cadets,” said Col. Bobby Woods, director of Headquarters AFJROTC at Maxwell. “These summer courses are one of many critical co-curricular programs that make the AFJROTC program not only fun but give our cadets hands-on opportunities to practice leadership and the things they learn in the classroom. Cadets who attended MCOLS take what they’ve learned back to their home units to continue the program’s goal of building citizens of character, dedicated to serving their nation and community.” (Retired Lt. Col. Lyndon Williams contributed to this article.)

Unit News...GA-20024

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SANDY CREEK’S AIR FORCE JUNIOR ROTC SHINES BRIGHT IN COMPETITIONby Russell CooksFayette News, July 12, 2016

Sandy Creek High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC team participated in the College Leadership School at

Converse College and won a total of eleven awards.

Sandy Creek High School continues to add to their outstanding year of accomplishments, even during the summer months. The Air Force Junior ROTC team participated in a the College Leadership School at Converse College and took over the entire program. The Sandy Creek cadets won a total of eleven awards, and Austin Culpepper was chosen as the Commander of the school.

This tremendous showing is just another powerful validation that Sandy Creek is

much more than a football school. The sports facilities at the school are located on “Champion Way,” the name coming from the overwhelming success of the football program. However, there’s a movement going on at The Creek to show the entire world that Sandy Creek succeeds at everything.

“Our students compete at high levels in athletics, academics, and the performing arts,” says Principal Robert Hunter. “Our goal is for continuous improvement in every category. We want to thoroughly prepare our students for post-secondary education, but also afford them the opportunity to excel in the extracurricular activities that they are truly passionate about.”

Major Shon Dodson said, “Chief (Mark) Davidson and I took our AFJROTC cadets to the Converse College Leadership School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and they crushed it! The week-long camp was comprised of 330 cadets from Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. At the end of the camp, our cadets from Sandy Creek walked away with 11 awards.

“Our very own, Austin Culpepper was chosen to be the Commander of the entire school and he performed amazingly! He walked away with the highest award of the camp, the Commandant’s Award”, added Dodson.

Culpepper took top honors, but he was far from the only Patriot winner. RuthAnne Degrange won the Military Excellence Award and the Top Advanced School Cadet Award. Bradley Gibson won the Outstanding Staff Officer Award. Evan Tapp won the Outstanding Standards Evaluation Officer Award. Ethan Perez won the Honor Graduate Award. Austin Culpepper won the Commandant’s Award. Brian Alfaro won the Outstanding Squadron Commander Award. Katlynn Gossett won the Top Female Graduate Award and Honor Graduate Award. Mayra Guerra and Johnathan Hausser both won the Honor Graduate Award. What an excellent showing by the Sandy Creek Cadets!

Sandy Creek High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC team participated in the College Leadership School at Converse College and won a total of eleven awards.

Unit News...MI-20141HOWELL HIGH SCHOOL CADETS TO JOIN ROTC IN COLLEGE

Livingston DailyPart of the USA Today NetworkJuly 2, 2016

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Four Howell High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets have

committed to continue their ROTC career.

Cadets Drew Sexton, Luke Tholen, Austin Spisak and Colin Cochran will take the skills and knowledge learned through Howell’s JROTC program and use them as they enter the ROTC programs at the college level.

Sexton will attend Michigan Technological University, Tholen will attend the University of Notre Dame, Spisak will attend Western Michigan University and Cochran will attend Eastern Michigan University. Sexton, Spisak and Cochran will join Air Force ROTC detachments w h i l e

Tholen will join a Navy ROTC detachment. While Spisak and Cochran will study at Western Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University, they will join Air Force detachments at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.

Tholen earned a full ride Navy ROTC scholarship to Notre Dame, where is will study mechanical engineering. Upon graduating from Norte Dame, he will enter the Navy’s Nuclear Power School where he will learn about operating nuclear reactors. The Navy’s ROTC scholarship is a competitive scholarship based on a fitness assessment, high school grades, various a c a d e m i c

and personal r e f e r e n c e s and college entrance exam scores.

T h r o u g h JROTC each cadet has gained leadership skills, public speaking skills and interpersonal skills. While ROTC at the college level is a very competitive environment Lt. Col. Lisa Franz, Howell High School JROTC instructor feels that each of the cadets will excel as they continue their journey.

“I think they will be prepared, I’ve been treating them as if they were in college with my expectations of them so they will do well,” said Franz.

Air Force JROTC provides leadership training and an aerospace science program for high school students. Secondary school students who enroll in the AFJROTC program are offered a wide variety of curricular and extra-curricular activities.

The program explores the historic and scientific aspects of aerospace

technology and teaches high school students self-reliance, self-discipline and other characteristics found in good leaders.

The AFJROTC program is open to ninth through twelfth grade

students who are citizens of the United States. The program is not a recruiting tool for the military services and those students who participate in AFJROTC do not incur any obligation to the Air Force.

Unit News...SC-952

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Twenty Air Force Junior ROTC students from Emerald High School recently completed the annual Converse College Cadet Leadership Course (CLC) in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Emerald’s cadets were among more than 300 other cadets and instructors from 20 high schools in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to participate in this six-day intensive leadership training program. Attending for the first time from Emerald were Cadets Hendrik Booraem, Hannah Doyle, Samyr Hernandez, Chloe Kirby, Chase Latham, Daniel Nguyen, Job Simon, Stone Strickland, Lyle Tennant, Austin Tran, Phillip Vaughn, and Sarah Ward. Cadets attending for their second and third year held staff or leadership positions. Attending for the second year were Cadets Nicholas Darragh, Zachery Elson, Jacob Pietrowski (advanced school); Bailey Gordon (flight cadre); Triston Lawson (standardization/evaluation); Ryne Tucker (flight cadre). Completing their third year were Heidon Davis and Alyssa Williams, both as squadron commanders.

The week long program is normally very challenging, this year more so because of the humidity and extreme heat. As a result, the cadets were awakened as early as 5:00 a.m. to get outside requirements completed before the hottest part of the day. A typical day began with physical fitness training, which included stretching exercises, push-ups, sit-ups, and a mile run. Following breakfast, the cadets returned to their dormitories to prepare for room and personal appearance inspections. These activities are excellent tools for developing teamwork and attention to detail. Cadets also practiced leadership skills on the drill pad, parade grounds and also attended academic classes to learn more about values, management and communication skills. Of course, it wasn’t all work at the school. Every evening cadets met on the tennis courts for a rousing game of Tennis Court Volleyball before they headed back to their rooms to prepare for the next day’s activities. It was a challenging week for all the cadets, enduring the sizzling heat, long hours of training, and personal challenges in time management and skill development.

At week’s end, a formal military parade and awards ceremony highlighted the accomplishments of the cadets. Individual awards earned by Emerald’s cadets included:

• Squadron Cadre Leadership Award: Cadet Heidon Davis

• Best in Room Inspection Award: Cadet Sarah Ward

• Outstanding Staff Cadet Award: Cadet Triston Lawson

• Drill Competition Ribbon Award: Cadet Austin Tran

• AFJROTC Cadet Leadership Ribbon Award: Cadets Heidon Davis, Nicholas Darragh, Zachery Elson, Bailey Gordon, Triston Lawson, Jacob Pietrowski, Ryne Tucker, and Alyssa Williams

• Outstanding Flight Ribbon Award: Cadet Job Simon

• AFJROTC Leadership School Ribbon Award: All Cadets

Emerald High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program is an elective course designed to promote a leadership and citizenship environment that encourages motivated high school students to pursue personal development goals. Cadets are challenged to achieve higher levels of self-discipline, teamwork, and esprit-de-corps and to provide service to the local community.

EMERALD AFJROTC CADETS ATTEND CONVERSE LEADERSHIP COURSEGWDToday.comPublished June 30, 2016

Cadet Success Profile

afjrotc.com 28

My name is Joshua M. Randel and this is my story about my path from AFJROTC to Air

Force Officer Training School (OTS). I have been a military brat all my life and lived overseas in Germany at various bases where my father was stationed. The earliest memory I have of AFJROTC is when I was in the 8th grade and one of the local AFJROTC units came with the Awareness Presentation Team to talk to us about the program and its benefits. From the minute I laid my eyes on their uniforms and saw how sharp the cadets operated and presented the material, I knew I wanted to belong with them. After the

presentation, my mother and I talked to MSgt Maxine Van Der Kaap (the then ASI of the GR-81st) about how I could join the program and become a cadet. She explained the various requirements I had to meet and before the day was I over, I knew which class I was definitely going to take in high school.

I recall on the first day of class receiving orders on how to properly stand behind my desk before being briefed by the instructors about the course. This amount of discipline was a stark contrast to all my other classes but I enjoyed that type of environment. I remember feeling proud when I was finally issued my new uniform a few weeks later and could not wait to wear it. Looking back at some pictures of me back then, the current me would have a field day correcting mistakes in my posture and uniform wear. Not that it wasn’t within the standard, but it was not at the level I am accustomed to today. Within the first quarter of my freshman year, the new ASIs had the opportunity to take part in a new cadet orientation designed to teach cadets all they need to know about drill and ceremonies in a single 8 hour sitting. This was an

extremely hard day for all involved but at the end of the day there was a sense of accomplishment. In addition, all ASIs that successfully completed the course would be temporarily promoted to Cadet Airman and could test to make it permanent. From that day forward, I knew I would not rest until I made it to the top in my unit.

As my freshman year continued, I worked as hard as I could on being the best cadet my unit had ever seen. I not only wanted to meet the standards required of me, but instead wanted to set the standard. Due to my strong involvement with the program by the

start of the 2nd quarter, I was promoted to Flight Sergeant which brought with it a new set of challenges for me. Instead of just having to be a member in the flight and

perform my duties, I was now given additional responsibilities and helping lead the flight. My performance and level of expertise continued to grow and by the second semester I was made the Flight Commander. Once again the ante was raised and I had to step up the responsibilities in as well as out of class. In addition to my normal duties, I also had to prepare of the unit inspection that would be conducted that coming March. This meant I had to ensure all member of my flight knew the proper procedures, drills, and were wearing immaculate uniforms. At the end of the inspection I was honored with the Top Performer Award for my efforts and the unit was designated “Distinguished Unit with Merit.” Besides being highly involved within the class, I was also an active member of the drill team, color guard, as well as volunteering well over 25 hours in the community each quarter. At the end of my freshman year, I was selected as one of the few AS 1 cadets to attend the

Summer Leadership School (SLS), now called Cadet Leadership Courses (CLC) at Sembach, AB in Germany based on my performance.

At CLC I had the privilege of meeting people from units all across Europe and trading stories and experiences with them. The program was far from easy and after three weeks, about 80 other cadets and I called ourselves CLC graduates. However, for me the program was not all fun and games as my ego caused me problems. Having risen through the ranks fast at my home unit and feeling “invincible” at the time I made the mistake at CLC of underestimating the program and paid the price for it. At the awards banquet on the last evening, I received no awards except the ones everyone received for participation. Seeing the disappointment on my parents faces made me swear to never let my ego get in the way again and that I would never be in a situation like that again. To this day, I have never been in a situation like that again because I learned from those mistakes in my past. Since that time, I have returned twice as a cadet training officer to CLCs, the first and only at this time.

MSgt Van Der Kaap and Josh Randel, 2009

A FORMER CADET’S AND FUTURE AIR FORCE OFFICER’S STORYBy Joshua M. Randel, GR-81st Kaiserslautern HS and GR-821st Ramstein HS, Germany

“The lessons learned in AFJROTC will stay with you a lifetime...”

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During the following years, I became a member of the staff class and finally getting more responsibility than before. As an AS II, I was the Logistics Officer for my unit and learned a lot about organization, logistics and management. In addition, my ASI MSgt Van Der Kaap taught us important life skills for our future after high school. She taught us public speaking, how to dress for success, manners and etiquette as well as conducted mock interviews to test us. Those very lessons I learned as an AS II would later on greatly help me during my real interview for OTS where I exceeded all standards. My junior year of high school I once again given more responsibility as I was made the Operations Commander for my corps. This job required much more time than any of my previous jobs and I would be working on it before school, in class, during lunch, seminar as well as after class if needed. This however did not bother me since I knew it was my task to make sure the events and tasks given to me ran smoothly and were planned accordingly. As the Operations Commander, I learned new skills in terms of management of people in events, as well as military protocol and procedures for events. These lessons I am sure will help me much in my future career as an Air Force officer.

For my senior year I switched high schools and was now a member of the GR-821st on Ramstein AB in Germany. The move was no issue for me since I am used to meeting new people and transitioned well. I immediately became an active member of the unit and soon after became the Special Assistant to SMSgt Thomas Speller the ASI and was tasked with preparing for the upcoming unit inspection. A unit inspection was nothing new to me, but this time instead of just being a part of it, I was the one

organizing it and presenting it to the inspector. All my previous experiences and jobs within the corps enabled me to plan the inspection out well and later present it. At the end of the year awards ceremony, I was presented with the distinguished cadet badge for all my efforts and work within the corps. The lessons I had learned in AFJROTC enabled me to be a better member in society as well as prepare me for my future. I chose a future in the military.

For my undergraduate degree, I remained in Germany and majored in Cyber Security at the University of Maryland University College. In addition to my studies, I also conducted a lot of travels to more than 47 countries on 6 continents. During my travels I was able to further my skills originally learned in AFJROTC by using them in a real world setting. In 2014, I volunteered at a wildlife foundation in Namibia and was able to use my leadership skills to help better coordinate volunteer activities and plan situations out better. During my senior year of college, I also applied to OTS in order to join the Air Force as an officer since my school did not offer Air Force ROTC. The application process was long and strenuous with many hurdles along the way and plenty of paperwork. Nevertheless, I was prepared for it all and determined to succeed in my goal of becoming an officer. The hardest part of the application process was an interview being conducted by a senior military officer, in my case the Deputy Director to the A2 for USAFE. However, through my tough coaching from MSgt Van Der Kaap, I was ready for this task and had no issues exceeding all standards. Once the application process was completed the hardest part for me began, which was waiting for the notification of acceptance.

After completing my undergraduate degree, I began working on my graduate degree while waiting for my notification. Eventually the notification came and I was ecstatic with joy of being accepted and able to fulfill my dream. I will begin training on the 14 September 2016 and after completing OTS will attend Intelligence Officer School at Goodfellow AFB, Texas. I can honestly say that out of all the classes I have taken in my life, AFJROTC has had the biggest impact on me as it has prepared me better for the real world. Therefore, I highly encourage all current cadets to be the best at what they do and regardless of how hard something may seem to never give up. The lessons learned in AFJROTC will stay with you a lifetime and will help guide you for your future. My end goal for the military is to retire as a flag officer, but if that

should not happen I plan on becoming an AFJROTC instructor myself to help guide the next generation of leaders for America.

Josh Randel in Namibia, 2014

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The mission of AFJROTC is to "Develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community."

The objectives of JROTC are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship, promote community service, instill ideals of responsibility, character, and self-discipline, and provide instruction in air and space fundamentals.

The AFJROTC program is grounded in the Air Force core values of “integrity first, service before self, and excellence

in all we do.”

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

We require your help in developing a quality AFJROTC newsletter product.

ARTICLES - Please submit in a Word document.

AUTHOR(S) - Please clearly identify the author(s) of the articles. (and titles too)

PICTURES - Cell phone pictures require much lengthier editing techniques to appear as quality photos ... and sometimes it is not possible to correct them. Please

try to not submit cell phone pictures. Hi-resolution photos are needed.

PICTURE RELEASES - Ensure each picture has a parental signed release form.

PICTURE CAPTIONS - We absolutely would love to be able to identify the action in the photos with the identities of those involved. However, many

pictures are not always clearly identified with this information.