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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Coast Guard established a new Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program at Veterans Memorial High School in Corpus Christi, Nov. 14.
Veterans Memorial High School’s Coast Guard JROTC unit is the 13th in the nation and has over 50 cadets enrolled in the inaugural semester.
“We're excited to be at Veterans Memorial High School today. They’re off to an excellent start with Commander Gully and Chief O’Leary,” said Cmdr. Clay Cromer, Coast Guard JROTC program manager. “We’re thrilled with the cadets’ leadership, enthusiasm, and the initiative they’re bringing to the table early on.”
Coast Guard JROTC instructors are hired and employed by the school district and certified by the service. Instructors must be Coast Guard retired, selected reserve, or qualified veterans with at least eight years of service. Veterans Memorial High School’s Coast Guard JROTC instructors are Cmdr. Matthew Gully (USCG, Ret.) and Chief Petty Officer Mike O’leary (USCG, Ret.).
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2023 mandated the Coast Guard to establish and maintain JROTC programs in each of the nine Coast Guard districts by Dec. 31, 2025. The Coast Guard is establishing four new JROTC units this fall, bringing the total to 14 JROTC units, with program-wide enrollment of over 1200 cadets. These new units are at the following host schools:
- Barnstable High School – Barnstable, MA
- Innovation High School – Orlando, FL
- Veterans Memorial High School – Corpus Christi, TX
- Kalani High School – Honolulu, HI
Coast Guard JROTC is not a recruiting program. Cadets incur no military service obligation by participation in JROTC, but they may be eligible for advanced enlistment opportunities with 2 or more years of participation in the program. The program helps equip cadets with the skills necessary to be more prepared for tomorrow’s challenges, no matter what path they take.
To learn more about the Coast Guard JROTC program, visit their website: U.S. Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (CGJROTC).
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