Photo By Melanie Casineau | Members from the 104th Fighter Wing, stand for a photo during a drill competition at...... read more read more
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104th Fighter Wing Builds Youth Connections with Community Service
BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Massachusetts- Sixteen members of the 104th Fighter Wing volunteered for the largest Springfield Central High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) drill competition to date, held in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Jan. 25, 2025.
Christopher MaClean, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.), is the Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Springfield Central High School. He said the event hosts schools affiliated with the four main branches of the Armed Forces. “It follows that we want judges from all four branches. We have 32 total judges volunteering today,” MaClean said.
“In many cases, students build a connection to the military judges through the drill competition. They feel military judges bring a broader perspective and legitimize the competitions,” he added.
“This year’s competition was the largest to date at Springfield Central High School, with 17 total schools participating, including JROTC programs from Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts,” MaClean said.
For seven of the 104th Fighter Wing members, their strong commitment to community service has been a part of their lives since high school, and it continued when they volunteered as judges at the drill competition.
Senior Master Sgt. Marilyn (Maldonado) Morales, 104th Fighter Wing Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, returned to the high school she graduated from for the first time. Morales felt as if she had come full circle, and returning as a judge was an honor. While in high school, she spent four years in the JROTC program, climbing the ranks, competing in female drill team competitions, and graduating in 1995 as the team’s captain.
Memories flooded back as many of the volunteers looked through scrapbooks, remembering friends and competitions from their time in the cadet program. “I remember being in the same shoes as the students competing and feeling that I had all my heart in it, the same as them. I have faith in the next generation,” said Morales. “Patriotism, citizenship, belief in the American dream, and dedication were all part of the feelings of the day.”
It is important to have judges who are or were previously in the military. Judges with military experience often have expertise in drill movements. “Their professional backgrounds give the competition an extra sense of legitimacy,” MaClean said.
Senior Master Sgt. Adam Casineau, a 2000 graduate, coach and volunteer of the same high school and cadet program, emphasized the role of community service. “Community service was something we did multiple times a year, every year within the JROTC program. Joining the military, continuing community service was just something I continued to do,” Casineau said. “In some areas, they were the same, I just wore a different uniform now.”
Airman First Class Tao Hong, 104th Fighter Wing Security Forces, has judged drill competitions every year since he graduated from North Quincy High School. His former instructor personally requested him to attend as a judge. “Since I was a JROTC graduate myself, I feel it’s my way of giving back to this community. Most importantly, I enjoy seeing how they perform in competition and the improvements they’ve made over the years. I’m very proud of them,” Hong said.
JROTC program provides unique opportunities and experiences for high school students, focusing on leadership. The 104th Fighter Wing who volunteered built youth connections today by mentoring future military leaders, just as they were mentored when they were in their shoes.
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 13:04 |
| Story ID: | 491233 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Hometown: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 138 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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