![\"Flag](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Flag-Raising-2.jpg\")
<\/a>At the cemetery, they gently cleared\u00a0glass clippings from each marker to look for words and symbols signifying a veteran had been laid to rest. When found, cadets noted aloud the rank or war in which the veteran served to let their fellow cadets know a flag was needed.<\/p>\nWorld War II. Korea. <\/em><\/p>\n An Army captain. A Navy commander. <\/em><\/p>\n A Vietnam veteran. A U.S. Marine.<\/em><\/p>\n Cadets helped place an estimated 3,800 flags at headstones throughout the memorial park.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very honorable thing to serve your country and to put your life on the line giving the ultimate sacrifice,\u201d said third-year cadet Joseph Hagan.<\/p>\n The school division hosts the NJROTC program at five high school sites for students from across the division. Students selected as cadets take Naval Science courses to earn elective credit during the school day and may participate in related extracurricular activities before or after school.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people think you are doing this to serve the military. That\u2019s not the case at all,\u201d said Hagan.<\/p>\n \u201cNJROTC teaches you how to be a better citizen and community member,\u201d Hagan explained. \u201cIt teaches you leadership skills you can carry through your entire life. It teaches you that by participating in small things, you are helping out society at large.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not boot camp,\u201d he added with a smile.<\/p>\n Fellow NJROTC cadet Olivia Smith, a sophomore at Cox High School, agreed. \u201cStudents see us and think we are treated like Marines and yell all the time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do present ourselves in a very professional manner that, in high school, can be viewed as serious and uptight.\u00a0That\u2019s not necessarily what we\u2019re about. It\u2019s about leadership, teaching and patriotism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think a more valid way to look at NJROTC is not as a military program but more as a citizenship program with military-style elements,\u201d said the PAHS junior and third-year cadet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a normal class with a few added requirements,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s comparable to band, for instance. You go to class and then there are activities after school and you have to wear a uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n The uniform. Their peers ask questions about ribbons and medals. The public mistakes it for that of active duty military personnel. The NJROTC patch on the sleeve is one of the few differences between the uniforms.<\/p>\n Cadets say they have been saluted or thanked for their service by citizens at the neighborhood Kroger, Food Lion and Tropical Smoothie.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a compliment,\u201d say cadets like Charles Alexander, senior in the PAHS NJROTC unit.<\/p>\n \u201cThey thank you for your service and that gets me even more excited to join the military and be able to have people do that for real,\u201d said Smith, who aspires to become a U.S. Marine.<\/p>\n Senior Luis Marin, a fourth-year cadet in the NJROTC unit at Green Run High School (GRHS), recalled when a Vietnam War veteran saluted him. \u201cFor courtesy reasons, I saluted him back, but then I mentioned that I am a NJROTC cadet and he said, \u2018Oh, you could have fooled me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Marin considered that high praise because he takes the responsibility of wearing the uniform seriously.<\/p>\n Hagan said service members have acknowledged the NJROTC patch on his uniform, shaken his hand and told him they are proud that he is participating in the program. \u201cIt\u2019s honoring to hear that from military personnel,\u201d Hagan said,\u00a0adding,\u00a0\u201cI went from being kind of skeptical about wearing the uniform to loving wearing the uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n Several cadets hope to continue wearing the uniform as Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets in college.\u00a0In exchange for a paid college education and guaranteed post-college career, cadets commit to serve in the military after graduation.<\/p>\n They are prepared for ROTC and more, according to their naval science instructors, because of the confidence, leadership qualities and teamwork skills they develop through the NJROTC program.<\/p>\n \u201cMost freshmen, or first years, arrive wide-eyed and fairly timid. By the time they become fourth years they have developed into fairly mature, confident young adults,\u201d said instructor and retired USN master chief Charles Aardahl\u00a0of the cadets in NJROTC program at FCHS.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is and always will be to develop young, capable leaders,\u201d added Aardahl.\u00a0\u201cWhether they ever serve in the military or not, we strive to teach them the necessary skill set to be competent leaders and provide them opportunities to develop and practice these skills.\u201d<\/p>\n Retired USN captain Lou Giordano, senior naval science instructor at PAHS, shared similar thoughts about instilling values of citizenship, service and personal responsibility in cadets.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the main benefits I have seen over the years is how cadets learn to work together and specifically within an organization,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is an attribute that will serve them well in whatever career their future holds.\u201d<\/p>\n Marin hopes to earn a ROTC scholarship this year to study engineering at Virginia Tech, Virginia, Florida, Duke or ODU. He credits his instructors for preparing him for a successful future.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore, I didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do.\u00a0Now, I know exactly what I want to do, and I\u2019m ready for life after high school,\u201d said Marin. \u201cI was planning on enlisting in the military, but Cmdr. Brown has mentored me, telling me that I have officer potential with my knowledge and skills.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe instructors really do care about you. They\u2019re not here just to make you do what they want you to do. They actually guide you on the right path and I\u2019m really grateful to them for that. They put me on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Service, sacrifice and respect are only a few of the lessons high school cadets say they are learning in the NJROTC program.<\/p>\n<\/a>Andrew Murphy said he has a unique perspective, sharing that his parents forced him to join the NJROTC program. He recalls thinking there would be lots of yelling and doing pushups every five minutes. After time, his parents gave Murphy the option to withdraw from the program if he wanted. However, he decided to stay, acknowledging that his initial thoughts were unfounded.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cWe honor [service members] by behaving properly when in uniform. We show respect by wearing the uniform,\u201d said Marin. \u201cThe uniform is bigger than itself. It\u2019s not just a shirt and pants, it\u2019s represents a wide array of people dedicated to serving the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cThere are things that are special with this program that will put you on a rocket to success,\u201d said Enninful, who would like to earn a ROTC scholarship her senior year to follow in her parents footsteps with service in the Navy.<\/p>\n