MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- .
The director of operations for Air Mobility Command recently visited more than 240 Air Force JROTC cadets taking part in a summer cadet leadership course in West Virginia.
Maj. Gen. Jerry Martinez was the guest speaker and reviewing official for the graduation parade for the “Mountaineer Cadet Officer Leadership School,” comprising of 18 JROTC units across six states, held at the Concord University campus in Athens, June 19-25.
“The cadets and instructors were very appreciative of the general’s interest in MCOLS and of Air Force JROTC as a whole,” said retired Lt. Col. Lyndon Williams, senior aerospace science instructor, AFJROTC Unit TN-20022, Sullivan South High School, Kingsport, Tennessee. “His visit made for a very memorable end to an outstanding week.”
This is the 14th year for the West Virginia event, which promotes leadership, teamwork and military protocol. For a full week from sunup to sundown, the 241 cadets took part in physical fitness, uniform and room inspections, academics, drill and ceremonies, and various confidence courses. Cadets who have previously attended MCOLS and were nominated by their home instructors were given the opportunity to return as cadre, who are tasked to execute all operational aspects of MCOLS.
Martinez participated in the end-of-course picnic and field day where he met the cadets, answered questions and took part in the MCOLS tradition of signing cadets’ T-shirts. The next day, he joined the cadet corps for breakfast, sitting down with as many cadets as he was able. Later, he was the guest speaker at the graduation parade.
The MCOLS is but just one of the many such activities held across the country by AFJROTC units.
“This year, AFJROTC units conducted over 300 summer cadet leadership courses that involved an estimated 55,000 cadets,” said Col. Bobby Woods, director of Headquarters AFJROTC at Maxwell. “These summer courses are one of many critical co-curricular programs that make the AFJROTC program not only fun but give our cadets hands-on opportunities to practice leadership and the things they learn in the classroom. Cadets who attended MCOLS take what they’ve learned back to their home units to continue the program’s goal of building citizens of character, dedicated to serving their nation and community.” (Retired Lt. Col. Lyndon Williams contributed to this article)