[JSR] Our Uniform Is Cool

Jiyoun Roh, Grade 12
Crescenta Valley High School

I joined the Air Force JROTC because I thought the uniforms were cool. I didn’t think much of my decision to sign up for the organization. Now, a little more than three years later, I can safely say that my choice to join AFJROTC has been one of the best ones I’ve made in my life.

Within AFJROTC, I’ve found a family made up of cadets who live by the Air Force’s values of “Integrity, Service, and Excellence.” Our discipline, unfamiliar to me as a freshman, is now an expected feature of the class I consider my home. Every class period, cadets will file in, talking and laughing. Before the bell rings, they’ll take their place behind their desks, standing at ease - the military term for an upright position of feet placed shoulder width apart, eyes fixated to the front wall, and hands behind the back. When the flight commander calls “Flight, Attention,” all cadets will snap to attention, and upon the leader’s command, will recite the Pledge of Allegiance and Cadet Creed. This is how each cadet starts off each day. It is a testament to not only the discipline that we display, but the sense of camaraderie we all feel as we go through each step together.

In fact, teamwork is one of the fundamental principles of our organization. Our Corps is run by a group of seniors - the highest-ranking officers - who regularly communicate in order to organize the day-to-day activities of the Corps. Additionally, within the Corps, are several branches, among them Kitty Hawk Air Society; Morale, Welfare, and Recreation; and Drill and Ceremonies (DC). Two of these programs are committees consisting of regular members; the other - DC - is a seventh period. I am the head of Kitty Hawk Air Society, the branch of AFJROTC that holds command over all service-related events and initiatives. My committee, of over 30 cadets, work together to host service events and initiatives for the near 100 cadets who make up our Corps, while consistently keeping the value of service in mind. With my team, I am launching a Veteran’s History Project initiative - where interviews with veterans are submitted to the Library of Congress to commemorate their experiences - and the Operation Gratitude Letter Writing Campaign - where veterans and military personnel can receive personalized letters thanking them for their service. The level of cooperation my society exudes can also be found in Drill and Ceremonies, where cadets will challenge themselves physically by marching in the annual Christmas parade or presenting the colors - the American and California flags - at formal events and competitions. We hold esprit de corps to the highest standard.

But perhaps the most visible aspect of AFJROTC is the uniforms. Every Wednesday, each cadet dons a pair of navy blue slacks, a pale blue shirt, and a midnight blue flight cap. We wear our “blues” - our uniform - to school, proud to be of a close-knit community. We take this pride even beyond our school, to - in my case - Washington, D.C. When my AFJROTC Academic Bowl team and I were competing in D.C. at the Academic Bowl finals, we were able to observe the differences in uniform between other JROTC teams and ours, which allowed us to gain even more of a respect for the patterns specific to our school.

So, I still find my AFJROTC uniform cool. But now, this uniform has meaning beyond just being “cool.” It is the very representation of the threads that connect each cadet to the other.