Welcome Parents

We were very pleased to see the outpouring of new parents at our Open House last evening. The positive words made us feel that we are reaching the community with our message that there is an important place in a young person's life for personal development as a citizen and leader - and it can start with Air Force Junior ROTC. I have heard many teachers say that they wish all high school students could be in our program - and we know why. This experience can translate into other areas - and life.

So we welcome you all, and thank you for entrusting your son or daughter to our program. I just want to go over a few things from our end that will help you understand the program better, understand how we operate, and understand the important role for parents. First, let me direct you to the right side of this web page. It is loaded with information about the program - and us. We are jointly hired by the school district and the Air Force to provide a "leadership laboratory" that will help students learn to work as a team, respect authority, respect each other, manage time and priorities, pay attention to detail, accept responsibility, accept accountability for actions, and promote positive citizenship and decision-making in a dozen different ways.

But please bear in mind - especially for those of you with military backgrounds - that this is not the "active duty" military. We follow a different set of guidelines on everything we do with the exception of uniform wear. Cadets can mistakes without losing careers - they can recover and progress. We are here to show them how those mistakes will affect their futures. We want them to walk away with life skills for success. We are similar to coaches because we try to mold our cadets off and on the field (classroom). And like coaches, we are the ones who call in the plays. Every year we see the "arm-chair quarterbacks" who think they have a better way or play, but we do know what we are doing. So please let us run the program as designed by the Air Force. If there is a grade problem with your child, we will correct it. But if you just want to see us do things the way you remember it from Fort Jackson - probably not gonna happen.

But we appreciate you, and we do need parent support from time-to-time. We will let you know when. I am going to send home a form asking for volunteers in certain areas. If you believe in what we are doing, we will get you involved as much as possible. You are certainly welcome to observe our cadets in competition or as they perform. But please let us do our job - their safety and our accountability for them is paramount - we need to be able to operate without undue interference.

If your cadet is involved in one of our after-school activities, please be sure to pick them up at the ROTC back door or in front of the school at the appointed time. We will keep them in our area until we know that you have arrived. Please send permission slips and fees, if appropriate, when requested. We have a full plate of activities this year, and this is an area where you can help us. We will expose your cadet to as many opportunities as possible, and we believe that they will benefit greatly from the experience.

It Was A Very Good Year

When we look back at the 2008/9 academic year, it is hard to believe that we accomplished all that we did - and with a new instructor team, a new vision, and a new mind-set. But in retrospect, we achieved more than expected in every area. We didn't do everything we wanted to, but time constraints, scheduling priorities, and managing a tight budget forced us to put some projects on the back-burner. Regardless, we added new meaning to the words "service before self" and "excellence in all we do". We still have room for improvement - and we will - but the foundation has been laid for future success.

In the area of community service, we brought a fresh look to the school's exterior, donated 1,000 cans of food to the Salvation Army, shipped 6 boxes of "goodies" to troops in Afghanistan, supported Camp Spearhead, performed over 40 color guard presentations, conducted patriotic ceremonies, and supported every special event at the school. We also had a banner leadership year with participation in three drill competitions, an Armed Forces Day parade, and achievement in command positions at two leadership schools during the summer - and we hosted both those schools.

Obviously, when you work that hard, recognition will come your way. SC-954 was named a Distinguished Unit by the Air Force, and the Air Force Association recognized us with the "Sword of Excellence" as the top AFJROTC unit in the state of South Carolina. The Area Administrator inspected us in March and awarded "exceeds expectations" in all critical areas. Both instructors received the Air Force Outstanding Instructor Award, and Colonel Pittman was named "Teacher of the Year" by District Eight of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Both instructors also received special recognition from the State Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Our cadets also received numerous accolades. We presented over 30 awards at our annual awards ceremony including the most national awards ever. We presented the Distinguished Cadet Award to Kevin Hinnant and Ashley McCullough, and Josh Whitaker received the first "Lance Radford Leadership Award". Additionally, Mr. Radford received the first SC-954 "Sword of Honor" as the most outstanding supporter of the program for 2008/9. At leadership school, Daniel Lee recieved the Leadership Award for his performance as a Cadet Squadron Commander. Three cadets: Kevin Hinnant, Ashley McCullough, and Kim Bracewell also placed in our first ever "Voice of Democracy" contest - a national event.

And there were many more awards, and much more to brag about. But we have found the path to success. Look for an even better 2009/10 as the SC-954 "Generals" hit their stride.

CLS II - Doesn't Miss A Beat!

From July 11th to July 18th, nearly 200 cadets from 21 high schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia experienced the Converse College Cadet Leadership School tradition. Cadet Colonel Kevin Hinnant from our unit led a staff of 65 Cadre cadets who supervised Basic cadets and conducted some superb training. Chris Savage fit right in as a Basic cadet and performed extremely well. Cadet Hinnant received the Commandant's Award for his outstanding leadership as the Cadet Wing Commander. Colonel Wade Williford, our Area Administrator, served as reviewing officer the graduation parade, and Colonel Alton C. Whitley, who served as the school's Deputy Commandant for 12 years, joined us to present the first leadership award named in his honor. It was a great week with a lot of "firsts" and many wonderful experiences that are now part of the Converse legacy.