Living in the city, especially in South Boston, there always seems to be events taking place where crowds gather to congratulate groups and or individuals for their service in the pursuit of helping others and for doing good work. And so, it was last week as people flocked to the Dorchester Heights Monument to be part of and to witness a very special ceremony to honor some impressive young men and women and proud Americans, the members of the South Boston Knights JROTC Cadets from South Boston/Excel High School. The official title of the event was the South Boston Jr. ROTC Awards Ceremony and Dinner.
Last Thursday was a beautiful sunny day in May and as the crowd began arriving on ‘The Heights’, the ceremonial music was playing to add that feeling of patriotic spirit that is a given at gatherings such as this. As the spectators and honored guests took their seats, Cadet Major Louis Pires, Master of Ceremonies, stepped to the microphone and welcomed all to the ‘Knights Battalion Awards Ceremony at historic Dorchester Heights. Cadet Major Pires then asked all to stand for the National Anthem and everyone in attendance respectfully did so. The National Anthem was then followed by the playing of the hymn of each branch of the United States Armed Services.
After the playing of the Anthem and Armed Services songs, a man who is well known to the South Boston community for the great work he has been doing, LTC Anthony Hinson, the senior army Instructor for the Jr. ROTC program was invited to the podium to speak and then, along with South Boston/Excel High School Headmaster Renee McCall, began presenting the awards to the cadets. The awards were many. All of them were well deserved and from some of the most prestigious military and non-military groups in the United States. It was apparent just how highly respected this Jr. ROTC battalion is when awards are given to them by the following organizations:
The Department of the Army, The 82nd Airborne Association, 101st Airborne Division Association, Special Forces Association, Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW), Jewish War Veterans of USA, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, Scottish Rite of Free Masonry, American Legion, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Daughters of the Confederacy, Sons of the Confederate Veterans, Military Family Support Trust, US Army Recruiting Command, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Reserve Officers Association, Warrant Officers Association of America, National Society of the Daughters of 1812, Non Commissioned Officers Association, The Retired Enlisted Association, Military Order of Foreign Wars, National Sojourners and the Marine Corps Scholastic and Physical Fitness Award.
Among the categories, awards were presented for; Superior Jr. ROTC Cadets, Distinguished Cadets, Leadership Excellence, Academic Excellence, Marksmanship and Physical Fitness and were presented to members of the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes at the high school’s Jr. ROTC program.
This formal presentation and ceremony highlighted the hard work and dedication that each and every cadet in the Knights Battalion has put in during their time serving in the program. Those in the crowd of spectators, as well as the honored guests, could not help but be moved by the military precision that the event and every participant conducted themselves with. These cadets made the veterans in the crowd proud by the manner in which they carried themselves throughout the day.
The formal ceremony ended with members of the crowd coming to their feet as the United States Army Hymn played. At the completion of the song, all were invited into the high school for dinner and refreshments which topped off a perfect day.
The cadet members of the South Boston Knights Excel Jr. ROTC program and their officers can be proud of themselves. They are always prepared to take part and assist in neighborhood projects and causes and do so with all the professionalism of the members America’s magnificent regular armed forces. They always display kindness, caring and competence when dealing with the public and are consistently eager to help in whichever way they can. The applause and cheers they receive when they march in the St. Patrick’s Day and Veterans Day parades and all the other neighborhood events that they are called upon to be part of is, without a doubt, well earned by the great work they do and the duties they perform. These young men and women in the Jr. ROTC program can be accurately described with the following words: Dedicated, Professional, Focused, Patriotic and in every way Impressive. With young people such as these, America’s future looks bright indeed. They deserve very special praise.
