chaptersinaction
dets. Since 2000, the chapter has presented 31 $1,000 scholarships to area JROTC cadets. In 2006, auxiliary member Loana
Archuleta honored her husband’s memory by establishing the Maj. Benny J. Archuleta, USA, JROTC Memorial Scholarship. Each year, Archuleta presents a $1,000 scholar- ship to a college-bound cadet, along with a photo and information about her husband’s life and career. “My husband was a JROTC in-
structor, and I think that’s why I feel so close to the program,” says Archuleta, who was the chapter’s JROTC liaison for many years. “I think every student should partici- pate in JROTC for one year, simply because they’ll benefit from it.”
MOAA support for JROTC Most of MOAA’s 400-plus chapters support a local JROTC or ROTC unit. In fact, national MOAA provides thousands of free medals and certifi- cates to chapters each year, which members present to top-notch cadets. Chapter members also support
JROTC in other ways. After the Northeast Mississippi Chapter was chartered in December 2010, mem- bers began working with school of- ficials to get a JROTC unit established at Tupelo High School — an effort that’s still ongoing. Members of the Falcons Landing Chapter in Potomac Falls, Va., also are working to get a JROTC unit established at Potomac Falls High School. “We have several people in our chapter who are persistent and persuasive working on this, and I think we’ll win the fight to get a new JROTC unit,” says Col. Glenn Carus, USAF-Ret., Falcons Landing Chapter president.
In addition to providing MOAA medals and certificates to outstand- ing JROTC cadets, members of the Military Officers Association of Southwest Florida contribute $500 annually to each of the eight JROTC units they support. “We are all proud and honored to be able to contribute to the devel- opment of these young people and their JROTC programs,” says chap- ter president Lt. Delbert Booher, USNR-Ret. “It really makes these kids better citizens, which is the primary thrust of JROTC.” Members also host the top cadet from each unit and two guests at the chap- ter’s annual award banquet. JROTC instructors and their spouses attend, which gives instructors a chance to speak about the accomplishments of their cadets. Lt. Cmdr. Jerry Bennet, USN-Ret., JROTC chair, says he’s impressed by the long list of cadets’ accomplish- ments, which range from main- taining a nearly perfect GPA to performing hundreds of hours of community service. “It’s clear JROTC is helping these
students hone their leadership skills, learn responsibility, and just become people,” Bennet says.
Increasing support The Hawaii Chapter more than doubled the number of JROTC units it supports in the past year. Thanks to the hard work of Col. Ralph Hiatt, USA-Ret., ROTC and
The Hawaii Chapter
established itself as a go-to
ROTC units in the area.
resource for Junior
JROTC scholarship chair, mem- bers now support 57 JROTC units, scattered across American Samoa, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, and the Mariana Islands. Chapter members recognize the top-performing cadet in each JROTC unit annually with an MOAA medal and a certificate. About a dozen $500 scholarships also are presented to outstanding cadets who participate in JROTC programs in Hawaii. The chapter has established itself as a go-to resource for area JROTC programs. Last year, mem- bers purchased and presented tro- phies and medals to the winners of two local JROTC competitions. “It just takes at- tending one JROTC event and seeing these cadets in ac- tion to restore your confidence in the youth of America,” says Hiatt. Members of the
Hawaii Chapter
also support ROTC programs at the University of Hawaii — something they’ve been doing for more than 30 years. Each year, members present outstanding cadets in the university’s Army and Air Force ROTC with MOAA medals, and a cadet from each unit receives a $500 scholarship. The scholarships honor University of Ha- waii ROTC graduates who died while serving our country and are presented by the fallen warrior’s family. “The members support and believe
in ROTC and JROTC,” says Hiatt. “We believe it helps the youth who participate in these programs.”
SEPTEMBER 2011 MILITARY OFFICER 45
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