{"id":477701,"date":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=477701"},"modified":"2025-06-12T21:15:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T21:15:05","slug":"building-leadership-central-texas-jrotc-cadets-participate-in-leadership-challenge-at-fort-cavazos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=477701","title":{"rendered":"Building leadership: Central Texas JROTC cadets participate in leadership challenge at Fort Cavazos"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Two cadets use suspended chains to cross a water obstacle during the Junior ROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge June 4, 2025, at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The exercise encourages problem-solving, communication and resilience in a team setting.
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\n A cadet reaches for a rope while balancing on a narrow beam as teammates work to complete a wall climb during the Leadership Reaction Course June 4, 2025, at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The event is part of the weeklong Junior ROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge.
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FORT CAVAZOS, Texas \u2014<\/strong> Cadets from across Central Texas spent the week at Fort Cavazos for the Junior ROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge, or JCLC, held June 2-6.<\/p>\n

The annual summer camp gives high school students a chance to build leadership, teamwork and confidence through hands-on military-style training. The event brings together cadets from eight high schools to develop character and resilience through activities, such as land navigation, rappelling and a leadership reaction course. Designed to reinforce lessons taught during the school year, JCLC also allows cadets to serve in squad- and platoon-level leadership roles. Instructors say the camp instills Army values and motivates young people to become better citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a product of high school JROTC, so I understand the impact it had on me,\u201d said retired Lt. Col. Quincy Norman, a senior Army instructor at Ellison High School in Killeen. \u201cWhen I retired, I knew I wanted to help prepare the next generation for citizenship and leadership. It\u2019s part of my purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norman said the biggest reward for instructors is watching cadets transform over the week.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust watching them overcome their fears when they realize they can climb that wall, cross that water, lead their squad \u2014 it\u2019s powerful,\u201d he said. \u201cThey walk away with a new level of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many cadets, this was their first time leading peers in a high-pressure environment. The experience tested not only their physical endurance but also their ability to communicate, stay focused and adapt quickly. Instructors say these are the building blocks of leadership and exactly what JCLC is designed to deliver.<\/p>\n

Freshman Cadet Marianna Klutse, a first-time JCLC participant from Ellison High School, said the experience was both intense and inspiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest takeaway from this week is definitely teamwork and leadership,\u201d<\/p>\n

Marianna said. \u201cIf you want to get something done, you have to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marianna, who moved to Killeen from Brooklyn, New York, and joined JROTC during her freshman year, said the program has already helped her grow as a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have asthma and allergies, so this kind of stuff isn\u2019t usually in my comfort zone,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I pushed through it, and even though my feet were hurting, I kept going. I\u2019ve definitely grown from this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her favorite part of the camp was the challenge of being uncomfortable and learning how to succeed anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing prepared really is everything,\u201d Marianna said. \u201cSome people weren\u2019t ready, and it showed. If you\u2019re not prepared, you\u2019re not going to be able to execute anything the way you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norman said the goal of the program is to teach more than just drill and ceremony. Through each challenge, cadets are learning how to think under pressure, work as a team and face their fears head-on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just teaching them how to lead \u2014 we\u2019re teaching them courage,\u201d Norman said. \u201cCourage to speak up, courage to take charge and courage to keep going when something feels impossible. That\u2019s what leadership is really about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Two cadets use suspended chains to cross a water obstacle during the Junior ROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge June 4, 2025, at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The exercise encourages problem-solving, communication and resilience in a team setting. (Photo Credit: Eric Franklin) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 \/ 2 Show Caption […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477703,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=477701"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477706,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477701\/revisions\/477706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/477703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=477701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=477701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=477701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}