West Caldwell NJROTC wins national contest for the fourth year

For the fourth consecutive year, Caldwell County Schools’ West Caldwell High Navy JROTC unit won first place at the National Color Guard Contest held during the American Legion’s annual convention.

The unit also won first place in the Open Class competition for the third year in a row.

A team of four West Caldwell students representing Lenoir’s Sons of the American Legion Squadron 29 competed against 13 other JROTC units from across the U.S.

The four were pictures of composure as they shared their perspectives of the event. There was no trace of hubris in their words or demeanors, but it was clear they took a healthy measure of pride in their accomplishment.

Command Chief Ethan Cook, a junior, said hearing his unit had won was a relief. It meant all the hard work had paid off. Commanding Officer and senior student Aiden Kirby felt the same, adding that the group practiced three to four times a week for three months.

Cook, Kirby, First Lieutenant Jayden Munday, and Operations Officer Avarie Peña all aspire to military careers, but JROTC is not only for students who plan to enlist, Kirby said.

“It’s a citizen development course, so it makes you a better citizen (and) makes you a working citizen who is actually going to add to society,” Cook said.

Peña said that in NS4 — the fourth year of Navy JROTC — students are introduced to the financial world, learning about W2 forms, taxes, and more. Cook said they are also taught to write checks.

Kirby said JROTC has taught him discipline and the value of hard work and dedication. He said it has helped him as a student and a Chick-fil-A employee and that in eighth grade, he “was not the best kid.”

“(Navy JROTC) made me a better leader,” Peña said. “I’ve definitely come out of my shell a lot. I can now present a whole slideshow in front of class without wanting to fall over and die, so it definitely developed confidence in me and leadership skills that I didn’t have before.”