On Wednesday, January 25, 2017, the Brother Martin NJROTC conducted their Annual Military Inspection for the 50th year of operation. Historically, in October of 1967, the St. Aloysius NJROTC was commissioned and became one of the oldest continuous units in the United States. Cmdr. Merlin W. Ladner, the area eight manager, conducted a full day of inspections for instructors, facilities, administration of the program, and, most importantly, the Cadets led by the leadership of Cadet Cmdr. Manny Guillot ‘17, Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Raymond ‘17 and Cadet Master Chief Petty Officer Stephen Fletcher ‘17.
Over the course of the day, Cmdr. Ladner inspected every Cadet’s uniform and checked the Cadet’s knowledge of the program as they performed flawlessly. Prior to the end of the day, all Cadets attended a lunch which the parents of NJROTC hosted. The senior staff officers finished the class day with a presentation of the goals and the current status of the program. Cmdr. Ladner was particularly impressed with the significant improvements in the Cadet Administrative and Cadet Supply programs which Cadet Lt. Jacob Detiege ‘17 and Cadet Lt. Ian Johnson ‘17 led.
In addition, a large crowd of family, friends, faculty /staff viewed the assembled formation of the 100 Cadets with Mr. Greg Rando ‘77, principal, as the guest of honor. Cadet Cmdr. Guillot led the ceremony and the ceremonial “trooping of the line” to show off the Cadets. Cadet Ensign Ryan Johnson ‘18 led a platoon marching demonstration. The newly formed Drum and Bugle Corps, led by Cadet Ensign James Bender ‘18, took the field and performed “Anchors Aweigh” for a surprised Cmdr. Ladner. Who commented, “I am so happy to see music return to the NJROTC program.” Drum and Bugle Corps Cadets are enrolled in both the Brother Martin Band and the NJROTC program. They usually take an overloaded schedule so that they can participate in both activities. Mr. Dominick Caronna ‘85 and Mr. Christopher Bailey ‘86 provided musical direction to get the group started. The final performance of the day was an all-freshman squad led by Cadet Connor Richoux ‘20.
The readiness of the Cadets for inspection and for marching demonstrations fell under the supervision of the Training Officer, Cadet Lt. Grant Strohmeyer ‘17. Cmdr. Ladner was impressed by the overall preparedness and excellent ceremony. Four Cadets stood out during the day: Cadet Chief Petty Officer Brenden Brouillette ‘19, Cadet Petty Officer 1st Class William Spedale ‘19, Cadet Petty Officer 2nd Class Connor Richoux ‘20 and Cadet Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Strain ‘20 received the Exemplary Personal Appearance award and a meritorious promotion.
The NJROTC program is led by Cmdr. Bruce Nolan ‘90 and Chief Petty Officer Terry Necaise, a veteran instructor at Brother Martin. The NJROTC is planning a ceremony in October 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the program at St. Aloysius and Brother Martin.