The true meaning of Christmas involves the giving of one’s time and talents. The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) did just that on Saturday, December 6, as they competed in a military drill meet, helped the Salvation Army, and led the Michigan City Festival of Lights parade.
The MCHS Military Drill Team earned a second-place finish in the Color Guard category at the Portage drill meet, with Romeoville, IL, as the overall winner. The meet was judged by the midshipmen of Purdue University Navy/Marine Corps ROTC. Some of those same cadets then turned around after returning to MCHS and helped offload donations to the local Salvation Army. These cadets then changed back into their Dress Blue uniforms to lead the Michigan City Festival of Lights parade through downtown Michigan City.
The cadets will remain busy right up to the holiday break. They will be supporting the Michigan City Area Schools One City One Sound concert on December 11. They will also be supporting the three home boys basketball games in December. The Drill Team will be preparing for their next competition at Indianapolis Ben Davis High School on January 31. They will also be preparing for their presentations to Barker and Kreuger Middle Schools on January 21.
“It is important for us to provide students with the correct information on our program,”said Senior Marine Instructor Major Tom McGrath. “Common misconceptions are that the JROTC is only for those students who are interested in the military and that there is a military commitment. The JROTC is a Leadership program that would benefit any student, regardless of their career aspirations.”
Master Sergeant Jeff Benak, the Marine Instructor, also highlighted the many extracurricular activities of the JROTC, such as the Drill Team, the Shooting Team, the CyberPatriot Team, as well as the multitude of community service and patriotic events theprogram supports. “If you ask most cadets who are in the program, their most common comment is that it is fun.” All JROTC activities are done at no cost to the student or MCHS, completely funded by the Marine Corps. For students who are interested in the military, the JROTC can help assist in obtaining financial assistance in attending college, which could greatly reduce or eliminate college loan debt.
For more information on our MCJROTC program, please visit https://mchs.educatemc.net/mcjrotc.