chapters in action
The Lee Coast Chapter only has 114 members, but they provide a wide range of support to all 14 JROTC programs. Each year, members present top cadets with MOAA medals and certificates. Three college-bound cadets also receive scholarships totaling $2,000, and $1,500 is donated to the National Society of Scabbard and Blade, which has programs for both JROTC and ROTC cadets.
Rear Adm. Roger Triftshauser, USN (Ret), Lee Coast Chapter board member, says members will continue to attend and fund the annual Raider Challenge and serve as a go-to resource for the JROTC programs they support.
“We’re proud of what the chapter does to support these JROTC programs because they help build character,” says Triftshauser.
“The first semester, 98 students signed up for JROTC, which told us this program was both needed and wanted.”
— Lt. Col. George Brudzinski, USMC (Ret)
Widespread support
Nearly all of MOAA’s chapters support JROTC and ROTC programs in their communities. Some efforts are large-scale, with the Alamo (Texas) (
www.alamomoaa.org) and Atlanta (
www.atlmoaa.com) chapters each supporting approximately 100 JROTC programs.
Other affiliates, such as the Aiken (S.C.) Chapter (
www.moaa.org/chapter/aiken), support new JROTC programs that spring up in their areas. In 1978, the chapter supported two JROTC programs. Today, members support cadets in 12 programs.
Some affiliates, such as the High Country (N.C.) Chapter (
www.hccmoaa.org), establish JROTC programs in their communities. According to chapter President Lt. Col. George Brudzinski, USMC (Ret), members used their strong connections in the government and Marine Corps to help the school district establish a Marine Corps JROTC program in 2013 at Watauga High School in Boone, N.C. Members also contributed $500 to get the program off the ground.
“The first semester, 98 students signed up for JROTC, which told us this program was both needed and wanted,” says Brudzinski.
The 58-member chapter also supports an Army JROTC unit at Avery County High School in Newland, N.C. Members present top cadets from both programs MOAA medals and certificates; college-bound cadets compete for two $500 chapter-funded scholarships.
Cadets show their appreciation by providing a color guard for area patriotic celebrations and events. They also serve dinners and help clean up during the chapter’s annual breakfast fundraiser at Applebee’s restaurant. This year’s fundraiser netted $5,000, which will be used to support JROTC, a local National Guard unit, Blue Star Mothers of America Inc., and veterans’ charities the chapter supports.
Scholarships for leaders
Members of the Virginia Peninsula Chapter (
www.vipmoaa.org) support 11 JROTC and three ROTC programs. Each year, members travel to area high schools, colleges, and universities to present top-notch cadets with MOAA medals and certificates and gift cards.
Col. Norman Merski, USA (Ret), cochairs the chapter’s JROTC/ROTC program with Col. Joseph Agee, USMC (Ret). Merski says supporting cadets reflects members’ commitment to community service. That commitment inspired leaders to establish in 2010 a nonprofit JROTC scholarship program, which is funded through members’ tax-deductible donations.
The scholarship program uses a rotating award system. College-bound cadets in five JROTC programs each receive a $500 scholarship one year, while cadets in the six remaining programs each will receive a $500 scholarship the following year. Most of the recipients attend community colleges.
“Our scholarship recipients will realistically not meet the extremely stringent entrance requirements of a four-year university or college, so community college is their pathway to higher education,” says President Col. John Harms, USMC (Ret).
Scholarship recipients typically have a B or C average but hold leadership positions in JROTC. To cultivate leadership potential, cadets assist with chapter service projects. When the chapter took part in Cell Phones for Soldiers, cadets collected hundreds of old cellphones. Now they help chapter members support Honor Flight. Recently, they gave Honor Flight veterans a rousing send-off and helped them board buses bound for Washington, D.C., where they visited the memorials built in their honor.
“Our chapter continues to look for ways to support the community and serve others,” says Merski.
JULY 2014 MILITARY OFFICER 43
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