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NMI cadets looking forward to off-island drill competitions in 2012
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Posted on Dec 22 2011
Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps units on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota are now preparing for upcoming drill competitions which, should they win, will entitle them to represent the Commonwealth in the national competition next year.
Saipan Southern High School JROTC Command Sgt. Maj. Leonardo Rabago disclosed this to the Board of Education and Public School System during the Manta Ray Battalion staff briefing yesterday morning.
Rabago said the CNMI will send delegates to the drill competition in Long Beach, California on Feb. 18.
He said that two groups—to be considered the CNMI JROTC Team—will officially represent the islands in both armed and unarmed drill competitions.
One of these two groups will come from Rota and Tinian units and will be composed of 13 members combined. It will compete in the unarmed drill category.
The other team will be whoever wins the drill competitions for Saipan public high schools.
The local competition will take place on Jan. 14 at the Marianas High School grounds. This competition has four components: inspection, armed drill, armed exhibition, and armed color drill exhibition.
According to Rabago, this will be the first time for the CNMI JROTC to participate in the California contest, which may entitle the group to compete in the national event in March in Kentucky. The trips will be sponsored by the U.S. Armed Forces.
Rabago is hopeful that the CNMI Team will emerge a big winner in these off-island competitions.
Rabago, along with his fellow instructors, graced yesterday’s BOE meeting where the Manta Ray Battalion performed a short staff briefing for board members. He said this activity aims to orient the board and education officials on how the battalion is being rated by visiting inspectors from regional and national JROTC programs.
JROTC is a federal program sponsored by the U.S. Armed Forces in high schools across the United States. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.
JROTC aims to instill in students the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.
