On January 23, 2024, the CCHS NJROTC program held its Annual Military Inspection (AMI). It is a ceremony where staff will share a presentation discussing what their roles are, what they do, and a little bit about the class itself. There’s also a drilling portion of the ceremony where each of the platoons showcases their drilling skills while the Area 22 Manager, Master Chief Ken Ballard, inspects the performance. Students can also be rewarded with either the sharpest cadet out of their platoon or perhaps cadet of the month. This is a very big deal as parents are notified of the event while it’s also mandatory for NJROTC students to attend the ceremony.
Master Chief Ballard came to Fallon from Las Vegas to inspect the cadets and their platoons. Churchill County School District Board of Trustees, Superintendent Derild Parsons, and CCHS Principal and Vice Principals attended as well. The Command Officer, Executive Officer, and the Master Command Officer of the program take the lead in the ceremony. The cadets of the program are there to perform a big drill for the Master Chief to judge. Parents attended the program to see their child perform while also learning more in-depth details about the program.
The reason for the AMI is to show how coordinated the students are in the class and to show what they have learned within their time in the class. It also allows parents and cadets to learn a bit more about their class officers and what their roles are in the program. It helps the officers build a better connection with the underclassmen while also telling parents the kind of environment their children are involved in and what they have been learning and experiencing.
AMI is usually held during the first few weeks of the second semester, giving the JROTC students time from the first semester to train and practice for the event. On the day of, students must be ready by 8:20 a.m. while the parents start to show up for the ceremony at around 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. The ceremony starts at 9:30 and opens with the officers of the class giving a presentation explaining to the parents and their cadets what roles they play and the type of activities they do for the platoons while also explaining the things they are in charge of. Once that commences, the students and parents are brought to the gymnasium to observe the drill performance. During this time, the Command Officer, Executive Officer, Master Command Officer, the Platoon officers, and all the cadets showcase a drill down while also rewarding cadets who have done well in the class. The seniors of the class are placed behind the platoons or placed within a platoon as a replacement. The seniors who are standing behind the platoons are there to catch cadets who feel like fainting or if their knees lock - which happens on occasion.
As a senior of the platoon, it was a very fun experience. Seeing all the parents show up to the ceremony and show their support was a wonderful sight. This was my first AMI and I do have to say it was pretty nerve-wracking. All of us practiced a lot, from marching to marching commands it felt like we went over it all nonstop. What made it even more nerve-racking was the fact that the good majority of us upperclassmen had never experienced AMI, so not only did we not really know what to expect, but we could not guide the underclassmen on what to expect either. So, we were all learning and had to rely on the guidance of our instructors, Chief Keith Bryska, and NJROTC teacher Vivian Jusino.
All the cadets were anxious but also excited, as we couldn’t wait to show off how well we performed while also making our instructors and parents proud. Master Chief Ballard was a very nice guy to chat with. He had a great sense of humor that helped the students grow more at ease, relaxing the minds of all the nervous cadets.
AMI is a very special event for any NJROTC program. I want to commend all the students involved - we all did such an incredible job. It truly feels like our hard work and dedication really paid off.
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