HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville High School's JROTC unit was named the top Air Force JROTC unit in Alabama.
Additionally, the unit's Air Force program was named one of 10 new Space Force JROTCs' in the country. They will convert their affiliation from Air Force to Space Force during the 2021 fall semester.
When it comes to winning titles and being selected for cool, new programs, one cadet says their perseverance through hard times is what made them stand out.
"When March hit and the quarantine hit, we kind of kept going. So, we had virtual meetings, we had a virtual military ball, a virtual award ceremony, we had social check-ins to make sure the mental health of our cadets was doing well, we had team meetings, the first-year orientation. We just kept going and it paid off," said a Core Commander with Huntsville High School's JROTC, Meredith Camacho.
Huntsville High School's JROTC was awarded the title of top Air Force Unit in both 2016 and 2020.
More information from Huntsville High School:
Huntsville High School JROTC cadets will soon soar to new heights under a new name, Space Force JROTC Guardians. The Huntsville High School Air Force JROTC program has been chosen as one of 10 units across the country to be in the inaugural group of U.S. Space Force JROTC programs. In March, US Space Force and the national Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps announced the first 10 JROTC units to convert their affiliation from the Air Force to the Space Force. This will begin in the 2021 fall semester.
All 10 schools converting volunteered. Selections were based on proximity to Space Force or related government agencies, including Space Force bases, facilities, and centers of influence, such as U.S. Space Command Headquarters, NASA, Missile Defense Agency, and other locations, or where the current instructor cadre had prior space operations experience. Space Force JROTC aims to convert a total of up to 100 units over the next couple of years.