THOMASVILLE — After years out of service, Thomas County Schools recommissioned the Army JROTC program in the 2020-21 school year. Now wrapping its second year, the initiative strives to teach youth essential life skills and values while molding future leaders.

“The JROTC program is designed to teach high school students the value of citizenship, leadership, service to the community, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment while instilling in them self-esteem, teamwork and self-discipline,” Lt. Col. Kevin Ingram, who leads the program, said.

The JROTC mission statement reads, “To motivate young people to be better citizens,” and the TCCHS Army JROTC works toward this outcome in a structured, interactive environment.  

“It prepares high school students for responsible leadership roles while making them aware of their rights, responsibilities, and privileges as American citizens,” Ingram said. “The program is a stimulus for promoting graduation from high school, and it provides instruction and rewarding opportunities that will benefit the student, community and nation.”

Junior Jackson McCorkle, 17, is a battalion operations officer. He chose to participate in JROTC because he believes it provides structure and an environment that creates respectful, well-mannered individuals while teaching invaluable life skills.

“I have actually found myself saying ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ much more and very instinctively, and I am sure that most other cadets have done so as well,” he said. “In a time when respect and mannerisms are seemingly disappearing, JROTC serves as a return to what makes people strong, both morally and emotionally.”

Junior Jackson “Jack” Emmett, 16, is a battalion security officer and company commander. He participates in JROTC for its valuable leadership and citizenship lessons. 

“The hierarchical organization of JROTC allowed me to get a taste of the military experience, and seeing as that is my future career choice, I jumped at the occasion to join,” Emmett said. “I have gained valuable leadership experience that will benefit me for years to come.”

Platoon sergeant Masato Vasaya, 16, is a sophomore who’s always been interested in the military. After learning about JROTC, he knew it was something for him because of its leadership component.

“It’s not all about the military,” Vasaya said of the program. “It helps with your leadership, school, and the way you can organize things to help you in life. I hope to be more of a civilized person, more organized in the way I do things and just a better person overall.”

In year one, the Thomas County Schools program split between Bishop Hall and TCCHS with two classes per school. The program almost doubled its participation this year and made TCCHS its base. 

“Our enrollment increased about 40 percent over year one,” Ingram said. “We currently offer five classes, including several cadets from Bishop Hall later in the day.”

Normally, programs have two instructors, one being a retired officer and the other a retired non-commissioned officer. Ingram ran the program alone his first year, but this year, he had a co-commander, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Dinkins.

“SFC Dinkins is a superb addition and someone I work with well,” Ingram said. “Since we are both certified to teach all levels of the curriculum, we leverage each other’s experience for specific subjects. However, he is responsible for the LET (Leadership Education Training) 1 instruction, and I focus on the LET 2 and 3 instruction. I also focus a lot of time on the program’s logistics, supply, and planning.”

Dinkins believes instructor dynamic is the primary way a program truly succeeds. And he said working with Ingram has been a great experience. 

“We have an exceptional work dynamic that enables us to improve the program continually,” he said. “Responsibilities throughout the program are split evenly so that we can maximize time during the school day as well as during after-school activities. As qualified instructors, we are essentially interchangeable and can perform each other’s duties should the need arise.”

However, the organization’s accomplishments exceed growth in cadets and instructor numbers. And the program offers far more than classroom instruction, including several extracurricular activities for competitive teams. Students who make these units — each one has mandatory tryouts — go against cadets throughout the state.

“Extracurricular activities are an important part of Army JROTC and the cornerstone of our competitive nature,” Ingram said. “Students are not required to participate in extracurricular activities to be successful; however, to obtain the highest ranks possible over the course of four years, participation will become increasingly important.”

In year one, Ingram and his new cadets established a color guard, began a JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB) team — similar to quiz bowl but focused on JROTC curriculum — and created and trained a competition drill squad. Furthermore, TCCHS formed its first Army JROTC Raider team that trained (including the use of an on-campus obstacle wall) and competed against other teams, winning the region championship and a top-eight-finish at the state level. And it established its first battalion staff to build toward the program’s first cadet battalion commander and command sergeant major. 

“The best thing about this first year was the energy and excitement of many of our cadets,” Ingram said. 

Cadets and instructors worked to build upon those year-one foundations in year two. They added more events to the color guard’s presentation schedule, participated in various service learning and improvement projects, and offered cadets with at least one successfully-completed year to apply for the summer JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC) to learn practical skills and prepare for increased leadership responsibilities. 

And the competition teams flexed their muscles and intellect in a variety of events. For example, the JLAB team qualified for the national 2022 Army JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl Championship; the JROTC Drill team, the Marching Rifles, won the Area 2 Drill Region Championship and competed at the state level.

Dinkins coaches the competition drill team and color guard, while Ingram coaches the Raiders.

McCorkle appreciates Dinkins’ standards.

“He has a clear standard that is very high, but he’s willing to work to make sure the cadets meet that standard, no matter what,” McCorkle said.

And Emmett dubs Ingram a great instructor.

“He provides students with the opportunity to excel in JROTC and ensures that the discipline of the program is maintained,” Emmett said. “Instead of leading step by step, he allows students to lead themselves and gain the experience and knowledge needed to be self-sufficient. This teaching style forces students to step up and take charge instead of just being a follower.”

Nevertheless, a student does not have to be on a team to find the program valuable. One area where participants can show responsibility is maintaining and wearing the cadet uniform on Wednesdays.

“Many people see the uniform and wish to be a part of the program to wear it,” McCorkle said. “It serves as the foundation that makes JROTC different from any other class. You are directly responsible for your uniform and its care, and you should want to score well on the uniform inspections, so you take it upon yourself to make sure every little detail, from placement of medals to lapel pins, is accounted for.”

Also, all students participate in daily exercises and challenges. Emmett most enjoys drills and PT, or physical training. 

“The lessons are valuable, but the fun lies in the PT and drill activities throughout the program,” he said. “I appreciate the discipline and order of drill, as well as the challenge of PT. Both of these activities teach the importance of personal fitness and precision.”

Others find the most valuable aspect of JROTC to be the connections forged.

“I’ve enjoyed the brotherhood and the teamwork that has been made with people I didn’t even know about,” Vasaya said. “This program brought us together as friends, as a family, and most importantly, as a team.”

While the TCCHS program expanded this year, it’s still marching toward future goals. Officially, the JROTC program is a National Defense Cadet Corps, which means the local school system provides 100 percent of the funding. But Ingram said they’re awaiting approval for a federally-funded program. Also, there’s a plan to build a multi-purpose facility at TCCHS that will include JROTC space within the next few years.

Ingram appreciates the TCCHS camaraderie and assistance toward his program.

“I enjoy the support from the administration and the excitement that a program like this can generate,” he said. “The long-term facility plans are very encouraging and demonstrate their support for JROTC.”

And current cadets encourage peers to consider joining the program. McCorkle said there are numerous reasons to join JROTC, including earning a high school pathway credit and immediate advancement when enlisting in the Georgia Army National Guard or the U.S. Army if the cadet completes at least two years in the program.

“If you intend to become an officer, JROTC gives you the resume needed to go to college, a requirement that most people would need to become a commissioned officer,” he said.

Sophomore Nicholas Whigham, 16, a battalion operations non-commissioned officer in command, participates in JROTC to prepare for military service. He said JROTC’s great for those seeking self-improvement.

“I would say that this program can help you become a better version of yourself,” Whigham said. “It can help you with life and becoming a leader and standing out from others.”