As the first grading period comes to a close, Islander Company prepares for competition. Every six weeks the cadets compete by platoon in three different events. First, cadets compete in physical training. On block day, the classes run a timed mile and do a max set of push-ups and sit-ups within two minutes. The second event is drillplatoon leaders march their platoon on the football field and are graded by First Sergeant Gallegos on the quality of the leader’s command voice and discipline of the platoon as well as its ability to correctly perform the movements while staying covered and aligned. The third and final event of competition week is inspection. Cadets are inspected on the measurements of his or her name tag and awards in addition to other devices”bling”and correctly answering questions pertaining to military topics such as the Navy Chain of Command and the Orders to the Sentry. The scores are averaged out and the platoon with the highest score wins.
Cadets are also preparing for Area Manager Inspection coming up in mid November. For this special inspection, Commander Ken Liles USN Retired, who is in charge of all the NJROTCs in southern California and parts of Arizona, is coming to see our unit and to talk with the company staff about their jobs. He is also going to inspect every cadet to make sure the company is teaching us how to wear the uniform correctly. The staff in Islander Company is spending time on the weekends and after school to get ready for Commander Liles to come. It is the most important inspection of the year because it all goes into The End of the Year Report. If Islander Company’s End of the Year report scores in the top 10% in Area 11, we will receive Distinguished Unit. This year, will be our fifth year in a row.
Commander Ken Liles Inspecting former Cadet Griffin Nosenzo AMI 2010
