Mastic Beach, NY - Sept. 17, 2018 - The William Floyd Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) recently held their “pinning” ceremony in which the slate of cadet officers is named for the 2018-19 school year. The ceremony was held on the grounds of the William Floyd Estate, the ancestral home of William Floyd, a Revolutionary War general and one of only 56 men to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Under the leadership of Senior Naval Science Instructor Commander Jay Tweed (USN/Ret.) and Senior Chief Dwight Becherer (USN/Ret.), the nine new cadet leaders recited the “Cadet Creed” as they gathered around the flagpole at the Old Mastic House. Commander Tweed preached the importance of honor, courage and commitment – core values that the Navy lives by. The commitment to academic and physical prowess to meet the high standards of a cadet officer was also discussed.
“The new cadet officers have the experience to meet the challenges they now face as they already have two to three years of naval science studies, academic excellence and extracurricular activities,” said Commander Tweed. Under the leadership of Commander Tweed and Senior Chief Becherer, the cadets are ready to meet those high expectations.
Congratulations to the new cadet officers: Samantha Badzo, Alexander Beere, Kelly Bohling, Joseph Cortes, Humberto Diaz, Rasheed Rhames, Michael Russitano, Xander Shirley and Savannah Smith.
In addition to regular classroom instruction, NJROTC cadets participate in a number of extracurricular activities throughout the school year and during summer months that are designed to stimulate learning by hands-on experiences and to reinforce the program’s curriculum. Cadet extracurricular activities include community service projects, attending drill meets, academic competitions, visits to naval installations and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) training.
The Naval Junior ROTC, a Citizenship Development Program, is currently under the direction of Rear Admiral Michael Bernacchi, Commander of the Naval Service Training Command, headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. NJROTC is a program that instills the value of citizenship and service to the United States in high school students.