Washington Township JROTC cadets took leadership to a whole new level when they completed the second annual leadership course at Fort Dix. The course ran from June 23 to 29 at the New Jersey Air Force base.
Lt. Col. Beth Ann Lumpkin is the senior aerospace science instructor and one of the commanders in charge of Washington Township High School’s JROTC since 2012. Lumpkin said the cadets participated in the leadership course for the past two years.
The course, which has cadets waking to reveille at 4:30 a.m., runs all day with cadets performing physical fitness tests among drill training and academic courses until lights out at 9:30 p.m.. The course mimics more of a miniature boot camp than a summer camp.
“We’re trying to groom leaders,” Lumpkin said. “It’s a very rigorous week, they’re sleep deprived; mentally and physically exhausted. Those kids who finished did a phenomenal job.”
The leadership course is made for the best-of-the-best – for those who couldn’t meet the requirements, such as a 9:30 mile for men and 10:30 mile for women, a trip back home was in store.
Twenty schools across the state were in attendance with 260 cadets completing the leadership course. Washington Township had 13 cadets finish: Anthony Siravo, Omar Castro, Logan Bongard, Sydney Hatton, Joon Song, Luke Parrish, Ivan Rodriguez, Marcel Mazahreh, Elijah Pratt, Allison Siravo, Cayla Wade, Isabella Santiago and Gianni Sacca.
“It’s a great leadership opportunity,” Lumpkin said. “When you look at the schedule and see what they did, it’s a great opportunity for cadets to excel as leaders.”
Lumpkin said Rutgers University’s ROTC was there to set an example for the younger cadets.
“It’s a building block, the goal of JROTC is to develop students of good moral character, this is a program that does it for the week,” she said. “It’s very hard going through, but they’re so grateful and thankful at the end.”
One of the biggest takeaways, in Lumpkin’s opinion, is the relationships gained not only between the cadets of the same school but the fraternization between schools.
“They bond with their flight and it’s great to see,” she said. “You go to a group, see them in the beginning, they don’t know each other. By the end, they’re best friends,”
Lumpkin said most of her cadets are four-year members, meaning they join as freshmen and go until they are seniors. The JROTC program at the high school is an elective and can be signed joined by speaking to a guidance counselor.
She added there’s no military obligation.
“Only 7 percent of JROTC joins the military,” Lumpkin said.
The main purpose of the group is to develop a strong moral character, which is accomplished through service hours. Lumpkin said her cadets logged more than 2,000 service hours last year, noting events like back to school night, graduation, the senior awards night, as events her cadets volunteered at.
“I have the best of the best kids,” she said simply of her cadets.
