Warrior Brigade aids JROTC ‘Adventure Challenge’

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Davis | Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, volunteer to assist with the evaluation process during the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Waianae Adventure Challenge at the Pililaau Army Recreation Center and Albert Silva Ranch in Waianae April 17-19. More than 30 schools from Hawaii participated in the event and competed in events such as, water crossing, swimming physical fitness test, rope bridging, rappelling, outrigger canoe paddling and other challenging events. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos Davis, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team/Released)  

WAIANAE, HI, UNITED STATES

04.19.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Carlos Davis 

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

WAIANAE, Hawaii – Soldiers assigned 25th Infantry Division volunteered to assist with the evaluation process during the Annual Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Waianae Adventure Challenge (WAC) at the Pililaau Army Recreation Center and Albert Silva Ranch, in Waianae, April 17-19.

More than 30 schools from all over Hawaii participated in the event and competed in events, such as water crossing, swimming physical fitness test, rope bridging, rappelling, outrigger canoe paddling, and other demanding challenges.

“This is pretty much their super bowl," said Buena Vista, Ga., native Pvt. Jesse Barnes, an infantryman assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “Our main job is to ensure the cadets are being safe and using all safety measures while they compete in the events.”

For over a decade, the relationship between the Warrior Brigade and the Waianae High School and Intermediate school has blossomed into a special partnership.

“We [1st Bn., 21st Inf. Regt.] try to participate in at least one event per quarter,” said 1st Lt. Gregory Thomas, the 1st Bn., 21st Inf. Regt. signal officer and battalion community event coordinator. “We are looking to build lasting connections with our partner schools by improving our outreach program.”

The Warrior Brigade Soldiers strive to become great ambassadors for the U.S. As well the motto for the JROTC school programs is building better citizens in the community.

“Our mission is to make these young kids into better citizens,” said retired Army Maj. Cory Marlowe, a native of Eugene, Ore., the senior army instructor for President William McKinley High School in Honolulu.

“Our main objective is to prepare them for life … It’s through physical fitness or teaching them the importance of working, going to college or attending a trade school. We want the best for these kids; we want these kids to succeed while they are here and when they graduate from high school.”

Even though the volunteers and instructors cannot openly recruit the cadets to join the Army, more than 10 percent still enlist in the military and serve their country after completing high school.

“The JROTC Program and the U.S. Army are built around the same structure, so once I graduate from high school, I plan on making a career in the military,” said Ederest Rest, from Tallahassee, Fla., a student of President William McKinley High School in Honolulu. “Being part of the JROTC program for the past two years has allowed me to see firsthand the how it turns kids into better citizens and teaches them how a motivated person will be successful in life.”

• Date Taken: 04.19.2015
• Date Posted: 04.27.2015 17:43
• Story ID: 161433
• Location: WAIANAE, HI, US
• Hometown: BUENA VISTA, GA, US
• Hometown: EUGENE, OR, US
• Hometown: TALLAHASSEE, FL, US