Cadet Malachi Zachry, center, is promoted to master sergeant during a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps recognition ceremony at Camp Zama, Japan, Oct. 17, 2024. About 40 cadets were honored with awards and promotions during the ceremony. (Sean Kimmons, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs)
CAMP ZAMA, Japan – A ceremony here Thursday recognized about 40 Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets for their recent promotions and volunteerism while also highlighting those who have stepped into leadership roles this school year.
The ceremony, held inside Zama Middle High School’s auditorium, had dozens of family members of the Trojan Battalion cadets in attendance, many of whom were helping promote their children.
Retired Sgt. Maj. Danny Davis, the JROTC program’s Army instructor, said the event was intended to showcase the cadets’ individual achievements and motivate others to do their best.
“That’s part of why we do this,” he said of the ceremony. “And it gives them an opportunity to be recognized in front of their parents and for their parents to participate in that recognition as well.”
Several of the cadets first received ribbons for their efforts in color guard presentations and for marching during the homecoming parade.
Many of the cadets were then promoted to ranks from E-2 to first lieutenant, with each of them taking turns on stage to have their new rank replaced on the shoulders of their uniforms.
Cadet Cheyenne Coleman, a sophomore, was promoted to command sergeant major, becoming the senior enlisted leader for the battalion.
“I really enjoy the family aspect of it,” she said of the program. “We’re all just one big family. It’s like we’re all siblings in a way.”
This will be Coleman’s third year as a JROTC cadet after she joined the program in the eighth grade.
Coleman, who hopes to one day become an intelligence officer in the Navy, said she continues to appreciate the sense of community that the program provides to her and her fellow students.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” she said, “to grow bonds and friendships and grow your leadership.”
Cadet Zachary Carlile, the battalion commander, also asked Coleman and other cadets from each of the battalion’s leadership roles to come onto the stage and be recognized during the ceremony.
Carlile, a senior who aims to become an Army officer, said the program is helping prepare cadets for future employment even if they decide not to serve in the military.
“It teaches us a lot of the skills that can transfer into later aspects of our lives,” he said. “We learn a lot of how to work well as a team and how to lead others.”
After rising in the ranks himself, Carlile, who took command of the battalion at the end of the previous school year, said he looks forward to witnessing the newer cadets forge into leaders as well.
“It’s fun to watch as a leader because I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “I’ve been where they’ve been, and I know how it feels. And it’s really nice to see them succeed in their own ways.”
Carlile said he plans to harness the cadets’ hard work and dedication as the battalion conducts various events, such as volunteer activities and a strenuous five-event leadership challenge this spring.
“I do not doubt that they will be able to reach the goals that we set,” he said. “I am excited to see what our battalion will be able to accomplish this year.”
