VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The East Coast SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) and SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Crewman) Scout Team hosted more than 30 Junior Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) Cadets from Princess Anne High School to run the Naval Special Warfare Group TWO (NSWG-2) Obstacle Course on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia Beach, Virginia, March 25.
The Cadets were taught teamwork skills and confidence while running NSWG-2’s O’ Course.
“This obstacle course helps build teamwork, confidence, and character,” said Lt. (SEAL) Andrew Dow, East Coast SEAL and SWCC Scout Team Officer in Charge. “It is good seeing these kids out here having fun.”
The NJROTC program was established in 1964 and is taught by instructors who are retired Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel.
“We have about 125 Cadets in the program,” said Gunnery Sgt. (Ret.) Dennis Gaitens, Naval Science Instructor, Princess Anne High School. “We are trying to show the Cadets the active duty side of the military.”
The Cadets were separated into groups of four and each group ran the obstacle course at their own pace.
“It was challenging,” said Brandon Del Rosario, NJROTC Executive Officer and senior at Princess Anne High School. “The best part was seeing my Cadets push through, we had a lot of fun.”
Princess Anne High School offers NJROTC as an elective course. The students learn leadership and citizenship skills along with general information about the military.
“NJROTC is not a military recruitment program, it is a citizen development program,” said Gaitens. “However, roughly 45 percent of cadets do go on to pursue a career in the military.”
“I hope to come back next year to do the obstacle course again,” said Daniel Stephens, a Cadet and sophomore at Princess Anne High School.
The SEAL and SWCC Scout Team’s mission is to identify and engage high-quality potential SEAL and SWCC Candidates, inform them of careers in NSW, and assists them with the recruiting process.