On Wednesday, May 8, 2023, the Greenville High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps held its 15th annual award ceremony. The cadets, resplendent in their NJROTC uniforms, were recognized for their various accomplishments and presented with a wide assortment or ribbons, awards, cash scholarships and other accolades. The ceremony ended with a change of command ceremony, thanking the outgoing commanding officer for his service and ushering in next year’s commander.

The awards ceremony is a major event for the NJROTC unit and is supported greatly by a variety of community organizations. Present at this year’s ceremony were representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, Daughters of 1812, Military Officers Association of America, Military Order of World Wars, the Greenville Golden Kiwanis, recruiters from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, and the Navy League. Several other local and national organizations provided awards which were presented by the NJROTC instructors. In addition to certificates, plaques, and other memorabilia, some of the awards came with a cash award. In all, $750 was presented to various cadets in the unit.

Highlights of the night included the VFW presenting awards, medals and two $250 scholarships to Ethan Worcester and Thomas Arnold. Jason Miller was the recipient of the Navy League Theodore Roosevelt Youth Medal which also included a $100 cash prize. Ethan Worcester also received the coveted Anakin J. Settle Memorial NJROTC Award of Excellence which includes a $150 cash prize. The final award of the evening was the second annual Cadet of the Year Award sponsored by the Greenville Daybreak Rotary Club and presented to Ethan Worcester.

For the first time, the NJROTC unit also recognized cadets who qualified for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Jason Miller and Ethan Worcester achieved this distinction by virtue of their untiring dedication to community service and betterment of Greenville. Additionally, the unit said farewell to its graduating seniors. Elizabeth Delacruz, Jason Miller, and Ethan Worcester were presented with their graduation cords and a graduation gift from the Senior Naval Science Advisor. Elizabeth Delacruz will be enlisting in the U.S. Army upon graduation while Jason Miller and Ethan Worcester are both enlisting in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Navy Nuclear program and Navy Seabee programs respectively.

To complete the program, the current commanding officer, Cadet Lieutenant Commander Jason Miller was relieved of his duties by the incoming commander, Thomas Arnold.

The new NJROTC staff roster for the 2023-2024 school year is as follows:

· Training Petty Officer – Cody Abernathy

· Communications Petty Officer – Jacob Edwards

· Armory Officer/Flag Coordinator – Thomas Alexander

· Administrative Officer – Haston Jones

· Supply Officer – Naomi Fowler

· Operations Officer – Aiden Attlee

· Executive Officer – Yuleima Batres

· Commanding Officer – Thomas Arnold

Congratulations to all the cadets who worked hard to make this a successful year!