Photo By Brigida Sanchez | A Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadet attempts to walk in a straight line...... read more read more
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HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. – For many teens, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program is not just another high school elective.
The program, which offers students skill sets that promote positive thinking, also gave more than 140 Army and Air Force JROTC cadets a chance to experience military life outside of the classroom during Special Operations Command South’s Military Assistance Program held here April 23-24.
Students from both Homestead High and South Dade High Schools arrived in yellow school buses to take part in various activities organized by local military and civilian organizations.
Activities included: observing a fire rescue demonstration by the base’s fire department, learning the dangers of driving impaired during a presentation from Homestead’s police department, rappelling from a 50-foot tower with SOCSOUTH members, ramming open doors and learning about vessels from U.S. Coast Guard members, meeting with Homestead SWAT members, and getting up close to a U.S. Air Force F-16C fighter jet with 482nd Fighter Wing air service members.
SOCSOUTH’s program, or SOCMAP, as it is more commonly known, began as an effort to strengthen community ties with Miami-Dade county residents. Today, the program enables military personnel, as well as local law enforcement, to work with local students to develop into productive citizens within the community.
An event like SOCMAP gets students more interested in the community and it leads them wanting to learn more about the military, said JROTC cadet Celine Valo, a South Dade High School junior. “At home they taught me how to become more independent. JROTC teaches you how to be a leader,” she added.
Many of what JROTC cadets learned during the two-day event, both in the class and out on the field with mentors, were the importance of leadership, community service and the meaning of being a good citizen.
“A lot of kids owe who they are to the JROTC [program],” said JROTC cadet Sgt. Adriel Gomez, a South Dade High School freshman. “They come in completely off task and they don’t care about anything. [But after being in the program] for a couple of years, they come out disciplined, respectful, responsible, and they do what they need to get the job done.”
The journey for teenagers is not an easy one. Some may even wander off the path of being a good citizen. However, the JROTC program keeps students on the right path by advocating strong academic habits along with important life skills.
“These kids are our future,” said retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Reginald Murray, a South Dade High School Army JROTC instructor. “If we can catch them before they make the wrong decisions, well, we can change their lives.”
“The children participating in this event are the ‘Cream of the Crop,’” said Murray, who has 400 students under his care. “And SOCMAP is an incentive for the cadets to do well in school and enjoy [a day like today].”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2015 16:29 |
| Story ID: | 161929 |
| Location: | HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | HOMESTEAD, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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