C-17 Flight Worth the Wait

The dream of a lifetime came true for 42 Wade Hampton and Blue Ridge AFJROTC cadets on November 20th at Charleston AFB. An orientation ride in any aircraft is worth a brick of gold, but a three-hour combat profile mission was an early holiday gift. The 0430 show time was not fun, but a nice chartered bus and a wonderful aircrew made it worthwhile. Several cadets had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit for takeoff and landing, and every cadet had a chance to get up to the cockpit to watch aircrew operations "up close and personal". It was a great day capped off by a fun stop at the Tanger Outlet Mall - for some fudge and other great purchases. Our special thanks go to the 315th Military Airlift Wing and MSgt James Steppe for making this flight a reality. When we talk about "curriculum in action" in ROTC, this is as good as it gets. We would also like to thank Ms. Eva Pyle and Ms. Angela Massingille for being such wonderful chaperons. They can travel with us any time.

Holiday Food Drive

Each year our cadets conduct a holiday food drive for the Salvation Army. They sent over 200 cans for the Thanksgiving holiday, and they will raise even more for the remainder of the holiday season. We also want to thank Coach Sinclair and the basketball program for their wonderful support of this effort. Many local families will benefit from the "service to others" shown by our cadets and Wade Hampton students.

Cadets of the Month for October

Our heartiest congratulations go to our Cadets of the Month for October. Advanced Cadet Anne Marie Failor (top left) was outstanding in her performance and attitude as were Mia Miller (top center) from A Flight, Dallas Sweatt (top right) from B Flight, and Carson Couch (bottom left)from C Flight. These outstanding cadets are truly role models for their peers, and we are very proud of them.

Veterans Day - One to Remember

The 2010 Veterans Day ceremony at Wade Hampton might go down as one of our most special events. We were delighted to honor a 1964 Wade Hampton High School veteran, Chaplain (Colonel) Mike BeLue, and add his plaque to our Veterans Wall of Honor. He had a distinguished military career that included combat tours in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He will serve as a shining example to all who graduate from Wade Hampton. We were also privileged to have last year's Veteran Honoree, Brigadier General Wayne Brock, with us for a special presentation. He presented the school with an American flag flown over Afghanistan on September 11, 2010.

We also used the occasion to honor two local veterans who were not WHHS graduates but who certainly exemplify the ideals of service to country and sacrifice for others. We recognized Mr. Terry Carnes, one of our Assistant Principals, for his extraordinary duty during the Vietnam Conflict, and we paid special tribute to Reverend Dwight Clark, a highly decorated WWII veteran who participated in one of the most successful prisoner of war rescue operations in military history.

Veterans Day at Wade Hampton was, and always will be, a day to honor the service of all who have worn the uniform of our country.

Strike Eagle Drill Meet - All Good

Our drill team certainly likes the foothills of North Carolina - especially if there is a drill competition going on. This year our team, under the leadership of MSgt Ken Clere, took overall second place honors plus some great individual and team awards. For the first time in three years, we had a knock-out drill winner - Mick Perry - and there was some tough judging going on in that event. Austin Mohring brought home hardware in IDR competition, and our color guard took a third place. We placed second overall in Inspection and second in Unarmed Flight competition. We took a first place in Unarmed Element. It was a great day in North Carolina, and we thank Lt Col Rod Clark and MSgt Jensen from East Henderson High School for hosting a first-class event.