Esprit de corps was abundant two weeks ago when the members of the JROTC Marine Corps at Hendersonville High School took the field at the Middle Tennessee Drill Team Meet held at Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tenn. Competing in seven separate events and against 21 other high school teams, the Commando Drill Teams were named Overall Champions at the annual competition which is sponsored by Dr. Pepper.

“The commanders of each unit in the competition displayed total leadership domination, and the cadets themselves showed true professionalism and ability in a total domination of this event,” said Master Sgt. Tim A. Clenney, one of the JROTC instructors at HHS. “They rose to the occasion with typical Marine Corps attention to detail.”

Two HHS JROTC Platoons competed in the Exhibition Drill event, which included a spinning rifle segment, and both marched away with a trophy – one first place and one third place. “In this competition, our two platoons are actually competing against each other as well as against other school platoons,” explained Major Bill Weiss, JROTC instructor at HHS.

In the Master Level Individual and Dual Drill Exhibition (made-up primarily of juniors and seniors) the Commandos captured two second place trophies in the dual category. The HHS Challenge Platoon placed third overall and third in the squad drill competition. The Junior Varsity Drill Team, composed of freshmen JROTC members, grabbed a second place win in the competition.

According to Maj. Weiss, the HHS program has one all-male and one all-female Color Guard Drill Team. The female Color Guard displayed their precision at the opening of last weekend’s VFW and Senior Citizens Variety Show at Hendersonville High School, and a dual rifle team thrilled the audience with their Commando spinning rifles. “A lot of girls are not strong enough to spin rifles, but we’ve found a place for them to compete,” said Weiss. “The girls do an excellent job in the Color Guard because they work hard and they tend to have more finesse than the boys.”

Weiss is pleased with the progress the JROTC program has made since its inception at HHS four years ago. “We’ve watched it grow to a point of excellence, and we’re extremely proud of the professionalism of these young men and women,” he said.

The Commando JROTCs will compete at the National High School Drill Competition at Daytona Beach, Fla. the last week in April. They expect to best their last year’s 17th place finish, and their goal is to break into the nation’s top ten.

 

Source: Hendersonville Star News