UpClose Magazine recently received correspondence from members of the Dulles high School Air Force Junior ROTC about the work they are doing in the community.

On January 29th thirteen of the cadets from Dulles High School AFJROTC attended and helped out at the homes for our troops: Salute Shoot Event. This event raised money for veterans. Most cadets were in charge of stations. Some marked down scores while others worked the traps. The traps are mechanical machines that release clay pigeons; they worked in two shifts, one before lunch the other after lunch. The organization provided the cadets with a barbeque lunch, breakfast, and drinks. Cadets Spencer Hankins and Jordon Dawson helped by driving golf carts around the event.

Dulles AFJROTC members at Salute Shoot Event

On February 13th, Colonel Gesch, the area AFJROTC administrator, inspected the Dulles High School unit as is done every four years. He made sure that they were meeting their goals and that their unit was running smoothly. During staff flight, C/Major Marlen Gonzalez, C/Major Alec Zorich, C/Captain Mo Adesanmi, and C/Captain Keegan Huffman gave an outline of the unit goals; they also explained how they planned to meet these goals. They also talked about what was going on with the special teams and the volunteer work they have currently accomplished. He made sure all of the staff was also doing their jobs. After the presentation, Colonel Gesch then presented C/Major Marlen Gonzalez and C/Major Alec Zorich with the Top Performer ribbon. This award, given to the top 2% of cadets of a unit, is earned by outstanding performance in leadership, job performance, academic performance, significant self-improvement, and community involvement. Later during Charlie Flight, commanded in drill by C/A1C Clawson, the cadets showed their visitors some of their amazing drilling skills. The unit once again received a grade of Exceeds Standards, the highest grade a unit can earn.