SAN ANGELO, Texas — San Angelo Central High School and Lake View High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) have received the highest overall unit assessment rating of "Exceeds Standards" during their JROTC Headquarters Unit Inspections in January 2023.
The Bobcat and Chief units now display the “Distinguished Unit with Merit” ribbon on their uniforms.
Every three years, an Air Force headquarters official visits the units to perform a three-part compliance inspection consisting of a briefing, unit formation inspection and drill sequence to ensure the unit is maintaining its regulations and standards.
“I love the fact the cadets get to brief the inspector and the multiple guests we invite to this event. It affords them the opportunity to learn vital communications skills they will use after graduation as the cadets handle nearly all aspects of the inspection with the inspector,” Central Senior Aerospace Instructor Major Christopher Carney said in a release from the SAISD. “They answer all the inspectors' questions and go through the checklist with them during the day. I believe this is an awesome learning opportunity for all the cadets.”
During the inspection, the cadets stand at attention within their unit formation and answer a series of questions asked by the inspector ranging from topics such as military knowledge and bearing, general knowledge or questions as simple as how they are doing today or what their plans are after high school.
During this time, cadets' uniforms are also critiqued. Once the unit formation phase of the inspection is complete, the cadets perform a drill sequence and a mission briefing for the inspector.
“Our inspection culminated months of hard work preparing the mission briefing, reviewing checklist items, fixing any discrepancies and showcasing our cadet-led teams,” Lake View Aerospace Instructor Major Jason Esquell said in the release. “With the last Headquarters JROTC visit being in 2017 for both units, I think it’s actually been a cumulative effort of cadets from over the last 5 years preparing for this big day. With COVID and other challenges that the SAISD kids have faced over the years, their performance during the Unit Evaluations was a testament to the quality of cadets in both JROTC programs.”
Four cadets received the distinguished honor of receiving the Top Performer Award, which is presented to 2% of students during Unit Inspections and recognizes high-performing cadets in areas such as leadership and job performance, leadership qualities, academic achievement, self-improvement and community involvement.
Those cadets are;
● Central High School senior Veronica Ross,
● Central High School senior Christopher Banks,
● Lake View High School senior Amalia Alvarado
● Lake View High School senior Damien Davis.
The JROTC units are led by CHS Major (retired) Christopher M. Carney and Chief MSgt (retired) Kathleen M. Prince and LVHS Major (retired) Jason Esquell and TSgt (retired) Sandra Bradley.
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