Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) has been a program available to Academy students for about five years.

Since the beginning, the Academy JROTC program has been connected to Punahou School. This year, Academy students have JROTC with Saint Louis School as well.

Students in the program go to Punahou campus every Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. CSM (Ret.) Gary Mobley and Col. (Ret.) Bob Takao are in charge of this program.

For Saint Louis, JROTC has a different schedule. Saint Louis’ JROTC meets Wednesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. 1SG (Ret.) Jimmy Akuna, former drill sergeant, and LTC. (Ret.) Kyle Keomalu are in charge of that JROTC program.

“I hope to gain leadership skills from joining JROTC. I like being a part of JROTC because there is a lot of community service, and there are many chances for me to interact with different people. An added bonus that I get out of joining JROTC is that it looks good on a college application,” said sophomore Lei Ngoap, a second-year cadet.

JROTC liaison Randy Fong said, “JROTC teaches students respect, responsibility and leadership. Many students gain insight and appreciation for the military as well as the community. JROTC can also benefit people by offering scholarships or giving recommendations to military schools.”

JROTC has different subgroups, including color guard, rangers, riflery and drill teams.

The color guard is responsible for bearing the country’s flag. Here in Hawaii, it is the American flag and the Hawaiian flag. Color guard is responsible for taking care of these flags. Four people are chosen for this position: two flag bearers inside and two individuals who carry rifles on the outside. The color guard participates in homecoming football games and important school masses.

The rangers are the most physically demanding branch of JROTC, which requires not only strength but also determination. For example, rangers run many miles and do strength-building exercises. Rangers train for competitions that require overcoming the challenge of difficult obstacles.

Cadets in riflery need to focus and to train regularly for competitions in precision and accuracy against other high schools.

Drill team performs routines based on military drills. The drill team performs in large groups and requires a lot of practice. Focus and the ability to follow orders are required. Drill teams also compete against other schools with learned routines.

Sophomore and first-year cadet, Caitlin McCarthy, said, “First Sergeant always says that you have to be willing to get better and that you can’t be an anchor on the team. JROTC participants have to be willing to work out at home and motivate themselves. It’s not about joining to meet guys with nice bodies, it’s about wanting to be part of the team. JROTC is  about broadening your world by getting a little taste of what the military may be like.”