Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) units from 13 schools in five states converged at Tecumseh High School on March 12 for the 27th Annual AFJROTC Regional Drill Meet Championships hosted by Tecumseh’s OH-881st AFJROTC unit. Teams from each AFJROTC unit could compete in 12 event categories, which included competitions for individuals, first year cadets, and all-female color guards. Popular “Knock-Out” events, including one for spectators, tested competitors’ response to drill commands and military form, such as proper saluting.
Major James Couch and MSgt (Ret.) Antonio Ruiz serve as advisors for Tecumseh’s AFJROTC unit. According to MSgt Ruiz, a total of 148 individual teams compete throughout the day. The event is free to the public and, in addition to the competitive events, there are local vendors, homemade food, and door prizes available for spectators.
Tecumseh’s AFJROTC annual Drill Meet competition is a highly respected and much-anticipated event. The PA-791st unit from McDowell Int. High School in Pennsylvania has competed at Tecumseh for 12 years, “This a really good competition,” says Col. (Ret.) Charles Merriott, a former advisor for the unit, “We like coming to Tecumseh because there are teams from different states and the competition is well-run.” PA-791st Cadets Gaunt, Muscaralla, Keiper, and Natalie competed in the All-Female Color Guard category. They agree the six-hour drive from Pennsylvania is well-worth it, “This a hard competition, which means you have to really focus on working together and on applying what you’ve learned…it makes you compete better.”
MSgt. Ruiz says the AFJROTC program teaches cadets “integrity, leadership, respect, attention to detail, and teamwork.” His 96 cadets agree. Members of the OH-881st Advanced Armed Exhibition Team comment, “The trust and teamwork you build with each other in the program is really important. For instance, our team creates our own drill, so we have to be able to work together to make it work in the best way possible.” The cadets also say the AFJROTC program creates “a second family” that provides support for them at school.
The AFJROTC focuses on Citizenship, not on military recruitment. However, after graduation many cadets plan to join the military and/or the ROTC in college because of their experience in the OH-881st unit.
Schools participating in this year’s Drill Meet were: (IL) Bollingbrook H.S., Lincoln-Way Central H.S., Lincoln-Way North H.S.; (IN) Jeffersonville H.S.; (KY) Scott Co. H.S.; (OH) Delaware Co. H.S., Fairborn H.S., Lebanon H.S., Springboro H.S., Tecumseh H.S., Walter E. Stebbins H.S; Westland H.S.; and (PA) McDowell Int. H.S.
The Drill Meet was dedicated to the memory of Tecumseh AFJROTC alumni, SSgt Wesley R. Williams, who died in Afghanistan on Dec. 10, 2012. Many volunteers, Tecumseh Booster groups and over 80 sponsors help make the event possible.
Tecumseh’s OH-881st won first place in the Duet Exhibition, second place in Female Color Guard, third place in Advanced Armed Exhibition, second place in Advanced Arm IDR, first place for Inspection, and four awards in the Knock-Out events. Lebanon’s OH-771st unit was declared the 2016 AFA AFJROTC Regional Drill Team Competition Champions. The AFJROTC National Championships are March 19 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.
