JROTC Motivates Students To Be Better Citizens
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Warsaw Community High School vaulted to the top of that list to start its U.S. Army JROTC program this school year.
Sgt. Maj. Mark Whitford and Maj. Friedrich Josellis moved from Texas and Illinois respectively to be the instructors for the program.
Josellis is a native of Illinois, where his wife and kids still live until they catch up with him in December. He’s been in the service for 27 years.
“I was previously enlisted and became an officer in 2000,” Josellis said. “I found out about this opportunity, which is presented to retired officers and (commissioned officers).”
Whitford spent 26 years in active duty and retired after that. He served four years as a JROTC instructor in Texas. He’s a native of Marshall, Ind.
“I’ve always worked with youth groups and things like that. Just always worked well with kids, always liked doing that,” he said.
With such a long waiting list of schools wanting JROTC programs, Josellis said he doesn’t know how Warsaw jumped to the top of the list.
“The only thing I can say is that it’s a testimony, I think, of this high school, what it offers its students, how Indiana supports educational programs because this high school is quite incredible,” he said. “Truly there’s got to be some intangibles that somehow got this school selected on top of a bunch of other candidates. Another thing, which obviously is an intangible, is Dr. (Craig) Hintz is a retired lieutenant colonel. You have all these different things that this corporation offers.”
As an Illinois resident, he said he can see the difference in what Indiana does and how it places a priority on education in WCHS.
“The sergeant major and I are kind of the same mindset that this is a high school with lots of opportunities and we’re just one of those opportunities,” Josellis continued.
Whitford said his experience at Warsaw so far has been great.
“The community has been welcoming, helpful. The school the same way. I will say this, normally in an interview you try and sell yourself, which you do, but what they sold me about them, all of it has come true. Just teamwork and quality of kids that they have here. A superintendent and principal that are truly engaged. Where I come from, you never see the superintendent walk the hallway, and he’s here almost every other day,” he commented.
WCHS senior and Cadet Elijah Hurley explained what the JROTC program tries to do.
“What they’ve been telling us is ROTC is not only military information if you want to be able to learn about the different branches of service of the United States, but it’s also to make you a better person all around, and respect and treating people right. And standing in your community, or being able to, and saying you have a purpose,” Hurley said.
“The mission of the JROTC is pretty clear on the wall when people walk in,” Josellis said. “It’s to motivate young people to be better citizens. It’s what everything is about.”
In its first year, the Warsaw JROTC program has nearly 125 cadets, he said.
Hurley chose to be one of those cadets for a peek at military life. “I’m thinking I want to be a Marine, an officer, and I was hoping it would give me more information on that,” he said.
Josellis said Hurley was the third student he’s heard wanting to be an officer, so he needed to have a talk to students about the steps they needed to take to take on that duty. Being in the JROTC program will definitely help students on their way to becoming an officer.
Since Warsaw’s is a start-up program, every student starts at the same level whether they’re a freshman or senior. They all learn the basics like turning right face or left face and standing at attention, but the program also is about life skills. They are given writing assignments and learn about history. The program covers all kinds of curriculum, Josellis said.
“It’s all about getting them to step out and do those things that will make them excel in their categories, whether it’s taking a job after high school or the military or go on to college,” Josellis said. “Whatever it is, it’s setting them up for, or at least provide a structured environment where everyone’s the same. It instills discipline”
The Army values are reinforced in the program, which uses the acronym LDRSHIP – loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
“We’re going to be doing the teaching. As (the cadets) get more advanced in the program, they are going to have to step out, they’re going to act as leaders. They’re also going to have a chance to be followers, but they’ll have various times where they will act as leader. But they’ll get a chance to know what it feels like to head a meeting, the joys of leading,” Josellis said.
Every student gets treated with the respect of an officer.
“We’ll start out with developmental steps, and we’re going to just take it up where the expectations get higher and higher and higher,” Josellis said. “But, like I said, everything we do is about making sure that when they walk out of here they have the ability to do what they can in an occupational capacity, in a collegiate capacity or in a military capacity.”
“This program is not about recruiting them for the military at all,” he continued.
A typical class starts with everyone standing behind their desk at a parade rest position. Their textbook is laid out on the desk in front of them. When the bell rings, the designated commander that week steps forward and takes attendance.
While cadets stand at parade rest looking forward, the commander leads them in reciting the JROTC Cadet Creed. The commander has to do it in an enthusiastic manner.
“We’re trying to teach them the basics about inspiring leadership. Inspiring leadership is, if you have a bad day, you still don’t show it in how you conduct yourself,” Josellis said. “And this is how it is in the real world. No matter how bad you feel, you still have to step up.”
Part of a cadet’s uniform is making sure he has his name plate out and has his book and his ID card on him. When they are missing part of their uniform, they get an “opportunity to show some enthusiasm” through push-ups.
“Since we are a start-up program, we didn’t get nearly all the uniforms that we like to have. Fort Knox is where our higher command is located, and this is the shirt we already have them in,” Josellis said, as Hurley pulled out his orange JROTC shirt. It says USA Army ROTC on front, and Warsaw on the back below a flag.
Josellis said he and Whitford really hammer into the students that it’s their program. “So we want to make sure if it’s their program that they do the things they want that set them up for success. We want them to think about what they can do to set themselves apart from their colleagues and other JROTC programs in the area or the U.S. So what can they do that’s unique?”
Before and after school activities are not required, but encouraged because it is part of the team effort. The program will have various teams, including a rifle team, color guards and a drill team.
“Since it is their organization, they need to take ownership of it,” Josellis said. “They’ll find their strength through students that have these interests. One of the students is going to start up the drill team, and he’s going to start it up because the sergeant major and myself have no drill team experience. You won’t find a JROTC program with instructors who have drill team experience. The students kind of set themselves up for the drill team. ... They’re going to get as good as they’re willing to give.”
“I’d love to be on the drill team and then it was mentioned the physical fitness team,” Hurley indicated. The physical fitness team will compete against other JROTC programs in areas such as push-ups.
Josellis said all the teams will be involved in competitions. The rifle team has not started up yet.
“One of the big things of our organization is we have to create a booster club or something that will enable us to do the things and get the things that we need to do to make ourselves a little bit better and get there quicker because the Army has given us a lot of things ... but we need the extra things,” he said.
Ultimately, the two instructors will decide who the top 10 percent best performers in the program are to go down to Camp Atterbury for the Junior Cadet Leadership Challenge in July. There they will share in physical activites and leadership courses with top JROTC students from other Indiana schools.
A cadet can take the program all four years of high school, Whitford said. A first-year student is a Leadership Education Training 1. The perfect situation would be if a student is in the program all four years, Whitford said, working up to a LET 4.
When a student leaves the program, Whitford said, “I just hope they pick up a little bit of discipline and self confidence. That’s going to go a long way when they go into a job or whatever they want to do.”[[In-content Ad]]
Warsaw Community High School vaulted to the top of that list to start its U.S. Army JROTC program this school year.
Sgt. Maj. Mark Whitford and Maj. Friedrich Josellis moved from Texas and Illinois respectively to be the instructors for the program.
Josellis is a native of Illinois, where his wife and kids still live until they catch up with him in December. He’s been in the service for 27 years.
“I was previously enlisted and became an officer in 2000,” Josellis said. “I found out about this opportunity, which is presented to retired officers and (commissioned officers).”
Whitford spent 26 years in active duty and retired after that. He served four years as a JROTC instructor in Texas. He’s a native of Marshall, Ind.
“I’ve always worked with youth groups and things like that. Just always worked well with kids, always liked doing that,” he said.
With such a long waiting list of schools wanting JROTC programs, Josellis said he doesn’t know how Warsaw jumped to the top of the list.
“The only thing I can say is that it’s a testimony, I think, of this high school, what it offers its students, how Indiana supports educational programs because this high school is quite incredible,” he said. “Truly there’s got to be some intangibles that somehow got this school selected on top of a bunch of other candidates. Another thing, which obviously is an intangible, is Dr. (Craig) Hintz is a retired lieutenant colonel. You have all these different things that this corporation offers.”
As an Illinois resident, he said he can see the difference in what Indiana does and how it places a priority on education in WCHS.
“The sergeant major and I are kind of the same mindset that this is a high school with lots of opportunities and we’re just one of those opportunities,” Josellis continued.
Whitford said his experience at Warsaw so far has been great.
“The community has been welcoming, helpful. The school the same way. I will say this, normally in an interview you try and sell yourself, which you do, but what they sold me about them, all of it has come true. Just teamwork and quality of kids that they have here. A superintendent and principal that are truly engaged. Where I come from, you never see the superintendent walk the hallway, and he’s here almost every other day,” he commented.
WCHS senior and Cadet Elijah Hurley explained what the JROTC program tries to do.
“What they’ve been telling us is ROTC is not only military information if you want to be able to learn about the different branches of service of the United States, but it’s also to make you a better person all around, and respect and treating people right. And standing in your community, or being able to, and saying you have a purpose,” Hurley said.
“The mission of the JROTC is pretty clear on the wall when people walk in,” Josellis said. “It’s to motivate young people to be better citizens. It’s what everything is about.”
In its first year, the Warsaw JROTC program has nearly 125 cadets, he said.
Hurley chose to be one of those cadets for a peek at military life. “I’m thinking I want to be a Marine, an officer, and I was hoping it would give me more information on that,” he said.
Josellis said Hurley was the third student he’s heard wanting to be an officer, so he needed to have a talk to students about the steps they needed to take to take on that duty. Being in the JROTC program will definitely help students on their way to becoming an officer.
Since Warsaw’s is a start-up program, every student starts at the same level whether they’re a freshman or senior. They all learn the basics like turning right face or left face and standing at attention, but the program also is about life skills. They are given writing assignments and learn about history. The program covers all kinds of curriculum, Josellis said.
“It’s all about getting them to step out and do those things that will make them excel in their categories, whether it’s taking a job after high school or the military or go on to college,” Josellis said. “Whatever it is, it’s setting them up for, or at least provide a structured environment where everyone’s the same. It instills discipline”
The Army values are reinforced in the program, which uses the acronym LDRSHIP – loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
“We’re going to be doing the teaching. As (the cadets) get more advanced in the program, they are going to have to step out, they’re going to act as leaders. They’re also going to have a chance to be followers, but they’ll have various times where they will act as leader. But they’ll get a chance to know what it feels like to head a meeting, the joys of leading,” Josellis said.
Every student gets treated with the respect of an officer.
“We’ll start out with developmental steps, and we’re going to just take it up where the expectations get higher and higher and higher,” Josellis said. “But, like I said, everything we do is about making sure that when they walk out of here they have the ability to do what they can in an occupational capacity, in a collegiate capacity or in a military capacity.”
“This program is not about recruiting them for the military at all,” he continued.
A typical class starts with everyone standing behind their desk at a parade rest position. Their textbook is laid out on the desk in front of them. When the bell rings, the designated commander that week steps forward and takes attendance.
While cadets stand at parade rest looking forward, the commander leads them in reciting the JROTC Cadet Creed. The commander has to do it in an enthusiastic manner.
“We’re trying to teach them the basics about inspiring leadership. Inspiring leadership is, if you have a bad day, you still don’t show it in how you conduct yourself,” Josellis said. “And this is how it is in the real world. No matter how bad you feel, you still have to step up.”
Part of a cadet’s uniform is making sure he has his name plate out and has his book and his ID card on him. When they are missing part of their uniform, they get an “opportunity to show some enthusiasm” through push-ups.
“Since we are a start-up program, we didn’t get nearly all the uniforms that we like to have. Fort Knox is where our higher command is located, and this is the shirt we already have them in,” Josellis said, as Hurley pulled out his orange JROTC shirt. It says USA Army ROTC on front, and Warsaw on the back below a flag.
Josellis said he and Whitford really hammer into the students that it’s their program. “So we want to make sure if it’s their program that they do the things they want that set them up for success. We want them to think about what they can do to set themselves apart from their colleagues and other JROTC programs in the area or the U.S. So what can they do that’s unique?”
Before and after school activities are not required, but encouraged because it is part of the team effort. The program will have various teams, including a rifle team, color guards and a drill team.
“Since it is their organization, they need to take ownership of it,” Josellis said. “They’ll find their strength through students that have these interests. One of the students is going to start up the drill team, and he’s going to start it up because the sergeant major and myself have no drill team experience. You won’t find a JROTC program with instructors who have drill team experience. The students kind of set themselves up for the drill team. ... They’re going to get as good as they’re willing to give.”
“I’d love to be on the drill team and then it was mentioned the physical fitness team,” Hurley indicated. The physical fitness team will compete against other JROTC programs in areas such as push-ups.
Josellis said all the teams will be involved in competitions. The rifle team has not started up yet.
“One of the big things of our organization is we have to create a booster club or something that will enable us to do the things and get the things that we need to do to make ourselves a little bit better and get there quicker because the Army has given us a lot of things ... but we need the extra things,” he said.
Ultimately, the two instructors will decide who the top 10 percent best performers in the program are to go down to Camp Atterbury for the Junior Cadet Leadership Challenge in July. There they will share in physical activites and leadership courses with top JROTC students from other Indiana schools.
A cadet can take the program all four years of high school, Whitford said. A first-year student is a Leadership Education Training 1. The perfect situation would be if a student is in the program all four years, Whitford said, working up to a LET 4.
When a student leaves the program, Whitford said, “I just hope they pick up a little bit of discipline and self confidence. That’s going to go a long way when they go into a job or whatever they want to do.”[[In-content Ad]]
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