Photo By Sgt. Salvatore Ottaviano | Maj. Gen. Kris Belanger, commanding general of the Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness...... read more read more
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STAMFORD, Conn. – One Army Reserve senior leader honored Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadets during the Westhill High School JROTC Military Ball held March 20 at the Italian Center here.
Maj. Gen. Kris Belanger, commanding general of the Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division and senior commander of Devens Reserve Forces Training Area in Massachusetts, served as guest speaker for the event.
“Whatever path you choose to take in life, I encourage you to go down that path with a focus on leadership, enthusiasm, and determination,” Belanger said to the nearly 200 Cadets, family members and faculty gathered for the event.
The U.S. Army’s JROTC is one of the largest character development and citizenship programs for youth in the world, according to the program’s website. Established by the National Defense Act of 1916 and expanded by Congress in 1964, JROTC’s mission is to, “motivate young people to be better citizens,” and “instill in students the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.”
“Right now, thousands of service members are forward deployed around the world, keeping the flame of Liberty’s torch burning brightly,” Belanger said. “These Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen uphold the legacy of past warriors whose lives were dedicated to preserving a life of freedom for their families, friends, communities and country.”
The JROTC program currently operates in more than 1,700 public and private high schools, military institutions, and correctional centers throughout the United States and overseas. The JROTC faculty is led by nearly 4,000 instructors who are retired from active duty, reserve duty, or National Guard Army service. Instructors are trained and qualified in accordance with the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act to teach and mentor approximately 314,000 JROTC Cadets annually.
“We looked forward to having Major General Belanger as our guest of honor, to address the challenges to our youth, leadership, responsibility, self-less service to our community and nation, the contributions of military service to a person’s life and their country, how one person can make a difference, and how to succeed in tomorrow's world,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Al Almeida, Westhill High School JROTC and former 99th RD command sergeant major.
JROTC gives Cadets opportunities to advance beyond their peers, from being able to list JROTC membership on a job resume or college application, to leveraging the leadership and technical skills gained through JROTC in the civilian workforce, to continuing their military careers in ROTC or one of the military service academies.
To learn more about JROTC, visit https://armyrotc.army.mil/jrotc/
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2025 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 493673 |
| Location: | STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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