MAFB Honor Guard continues to mentor JROTC cadets

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Victor J. Caputo
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  The McConnell Air Force Base Honor Guard continued an almost 20-year tradition by judging the Wichita Public School district's Junior ROTC drill competitions this year.

The honor guardsmen, who have been judging these competitions since 1995, critique high school cadets in multiple categories, including armed and unarmed drill and color guard, and individual drill down.

"I believe there is a huge benefit for our Airmen to see and judge these competitions," said Tech. Sgt. Terrance Williams, 22nd Force Support Squadron Honor Guard NCO in charge. "They get to see our potential Airmen taking part in something that is deeply engrained in our heritage, plus they do contribute to the great relationship we have with the local community."

There were four competitions between the JROTC programs throughout Wichita, Kansas with dozens of cadets attending each one.

"The Airmen at McConnell have been helping us with this since I first started the program in 1995," said retired Col. Robert Hester, Wichita Public Schools JROTC and Leadership Program director, "and they haven't missed a year since then."

The chance for cadets to see real, active duty service members is a huge reason for Hester's continued partnership with McConnell. These JROTC students are able to see a possible end result to pursuing a military career, he said.

The Airman judges from the honor guard often times are prior JROTC cadets, and those individuals enjoy the different viewpoint.

"I was in JROTC in high school," said Senior Airmen David Clauson, 22nd FSS Honor Guardsman. "This is a great opportunity to be able to go back and mentor kids doing the same program that I did when I was younger."

All the training and practice the cadets go through culminates in one team winning. The young adults often take each segment very seriously, win or lose.

"Knowing what they went through to make it to these competitions," said Clauson, "I fully understand the disappointment they feel after a poor performance. I wish that I would have had the chance to receive advice from experienced military members after a loss when I was in their shoes."

Williams, who has been running the base honor guard for almost two years, looks forward to continuing this relationship and helping shape the next generation of leaders.

"I hope that they see how much we love being a part of this program," he said, "and I truly believe that every one of those cadets should be honored simply for wanting to wear the uniform and strive for perfection in everything they do."