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Force for the Future: PCU INDEPENDENCE Inspects NJROTC Cadets Wednesday, Mar 18, 2009 In February, the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. (NJROTC) cadets of W.P. Davidson High School received an additional reason to dread their annual Pass and Review. The Blue and Gold Command Senior Chiefs of PCU INDEPENDENCE BLUE (LCS 2), QMCS (SW/AW) Melissa Black and GSCS(SW) Gabriel Velasco, were on hand to rate the cadets' bearing, critique their uniforms and test their military knowledge. "The inspiration that NJROTC cadets gain from active duty officers and non-commissioned officers is best described by the tag line of a popular credit card commercial..."Priceless," said W.P. Davidson High Senior Naval Science instructor, CAPT Tom Daniel USN (Ret.). Davidson High's NJROTC program consists of 128 cadets from a wide variety of ethnicities, including African American, Asian American, and Hispanic American. The unit construction mirrors that of a standard naval command, complete with student billets for Commanding Officer, Executive Officer and Master Chief Petty Officer. Bi-annually, the Davidson unit as a whole is evaluated by a regional manager in order to measure NJROTC objective progress; the successful conduct of a battalion-wide inspection is a major part of this assessment. In between, active duty military officers (O-5 and above) are often invited to lend a fresh eye to the process. "INDEPENDENCE was proud to support this evolution," said CDR Curt Renshaw USN, Commanding Officer of the Blue crew and a reviewing officer for the formal parade. "It is always a genuine pleasure to help mold potential Sailors and citizens, and it's clear that the motivated students of Davidson meet and exceed the high standards of the NJROTC program." During the inspection, the battalion was divided into three companies. Cadet recorders accompanied the active duty inspectors, but saw little action due to the exceptional level of preparation demonstrated by the students. At the conclusion of the event, the student Commanding Officer, Cadet Justin Avery, as well as student Master Chief Petty Officer, Cadet Gabrielle Austin, were presented with Commanding Officer coins from each of the INDY skippers. Cadet Tiffany Ngo and Cadet Sally Hua, both freshmen, received INDEPENDENCE ball caps as a small reward for an outstanding exhibition drill demonstration. "Because the goal of our program is to promote ‘good citizens' versus military recruitment, I am most proud to see a number of graduated students return for ‘thank you' visits and to talk to our current NJROTC students about how the Navy core values they learned in NJROTC science classes allowed them to become more successful in life after high school," said Captain Daniel. Of course, some do use their naval science experience as a springboard into the armed services. Congressional Representative Joe Bonner (R-Al.) recently granted Cadet Avery formal congressional nominations for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Scholarship program. The benefits of involvement in the NJROTC program are not exclusive to the cadets alone. Captain Daniel noted that Senior Instructor was a never-ending learning experience for him, as well. "The most significant thing the students have taught me is that they will rise to the occasion when you set high goals for them," he said. Submitted by-LTJG Philip Garrow, LCS 2 BLUE PAO Pictured above-Members of the W.P. Davison High School NJROTC Unit complete their annual Pass and Review in Review. Several Sailors from PCU INDEPENCE were on hand to critique their peformance. Photo by-Cadet (ENS) Brittany Haines Return to News