This was a long journey for the Paloma Valley Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corp (JROTC) Team. Paloma JROTC is not just a program to help give kids something to do in their spare time. It’s used to teach discipline, build character, and prepare these kids for their future. Like anyone who is involved in a competition, the ultimate goal is to win, and this team did just that.
According to Sergeant Frank Puebla, it was about more than just the win, “In order to be competitive, there has to be sacrifice… but what exactly are we sacrificing for... the trophy?... the win? No! The sacrifice now...is for what we become due to the tough journey.” These cadets were extremely dedicated. They practiced an hour before school started, two hours after school, and 4 to 8 hours on the weekend. The coach made sure he had all the help he could get in order to ensure his cadets were fully prepared. “We hired an additional coach besides myself to assist, especially with the exhibition side”. The team was able to come out on top due to communication, strategy, and teamwork.
The team had their downfalls. When working so hard for something and not reaching anything but, the top stings. The team was down less than 100 points away from winning in a 6000 point system. They not only became state champs and runner-ups, but they gained internal growth as well.
The majority of the cadets that join only join because someone inspired them to, or because they needed improvement for themselves. Cadets, Bethaine Modesto, Brian Lampman, and Ricardo Herzog-Balderas all joined Paloma JROTC because they were thinking of their future. They decided it was time to start growing as a person, and potentially become a leader, and ROTC was the perfect program for that.
These cadets wanted the very best for each other to achieve this award for selfless reasons. This achievement proves it. “What made me want to achieve this goal is to honor those cadets who went before me. To let them know that their work and dedication did not go unnoticed”, says Cadet Lampman.
Cadet Herzog-Balderas said: “I gave all I had to achieve this nationally-ranking goal for my cadets. I was driven by the effort I saw my fellow cadets giving day-in and day-out”.
For any team, in order for you to win, everyone has to give their all, otherwise the entire team will suffer. “I wanted to be apart of something bigger than myself and I know that I’ve accomplished that goal”, says Cadet Modesto.
Paloma JROTC has made such a huge impact on these cadets’ lives that it has inspired them to want to pursue these skills and teachings further. All three of these cadets have decided to enlist in the Marine Corps once they graduate high school. They are now going to fight for something greater than a trophy. They are going to be fighting for their country, their families, and for any person they have ever came in contact with. Paloma JROTC accomplished the ultimate goal which was turning boys and girls into men and women.
