Mission Accomplished
by Kevin Fritz
Thirty years.
That’s how long the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (NJROTC) program at Lake Mary High School had to wait before winning its first Area title, also known as States, this year.
The victory was especially thrilling for these cadets, who were excited to then represent Lake Mary at the Navy Nationals this past spring.
For Lieutenant Colonel Francis “Skip” Barth (USMC Retired), the students’ accomplishment stemmed from understanding how going the extra mile could finally bring home a victory.
“We decided we were going to practice, then practice some more,” explains Lt. Col. Barth, who has been a NJROTC instructor at Lake Mary since 2017. “When the cadets realized the importance of the moment, they bought in.”
No More Waiting
Ethan Burton and Samantha Minton, graduating seniors and student commanders, were two of the cadets who made it their mission to take home the States title and go to Nationals.
“My goal was to win the States, especially for our chief [Chief Petty Officer Craig Daniels, USN, Retired], who has been doing this for 20 years,” says Ethan. “I put our teams through a lot, and we made it to Nationals.”
Navy Nationals is traditionally held in April at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, but in-person competitions were canceled this year due to government budget cuts. Instead, each school competed by producing a video of its skills.
Ethan, who has been in NJROTC since he attended Greenwood Lakes Middle School, comes from a military family. Mom Summer served in the Army, and father Robert is still serving as a First Sergeant with D Company, 436th Civil Affairs Battalion in the Army Reserve. All four of their children were NJROTC cadets. Ethan is now sworn into the U.S. Army as a rotary wing aviator warrant officer and leaves to begin service in November. He plans on piloting Chinooks, the Army’s tandem-rotor transport helicopter.
“I have always found the brotherhood of the military very appealing,” says Ethan. “It is something you can’t find everywhere.”
Samantha is first-generation military and left Central Florida in June to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. She knew nothing about ROTC until she became a student at Lake Mary and was convinced to give it a try.
“ROTC changed the trajectory of my life,” says Samantha. “What a crazy thing to stumble upon.”
Racking Up the Awards
In May, Ethan and Samantha were both able to take their skills to High School Nationals, a competition in Daytona Beach that comprises all JROTC programs. Cadets were judged individually and in mixed tandem exhibition drills, the latter of which Ethan and Samantha placed first in the nation. Samantha also placed third among all females in solo competition.
Lake Mary High is one of approximately 700 schools in the United States with NJROTC programs. The country is broken into Areas, with Lake Mary representing Areas 11 and 12.
Each year, the schools compete in a variety of skills to reach the Area finals with the winners advancing to compete at Navy Nationals. Competition is military-based, comprising drills and exhibitions (armed and unarmed), color guard drills, physical fitness assessments, and an academic segment.
At Lake Mary, the NJROTC elective attracts about 150 students a year, which includes eighth graders enrolled in the program at Greenwood Lakes Middle. There is a 50-50 mix of male and female cadets. Some take the class simply for credits, while others look at NJROTC as a military career springboard.
“This is a leadership and development program,” says Lt. Col. Barth. “We are not trying to convince anyone to join the military. If they do want to, we can help.”
Working alongside him are CPO Daniels and First Sergeant Daniel Serrano, USMC Retired.
“We are all extremely proud of these cadets,” says Lt. Col. Barth. “This group of kids decided to go for it.”