JROTC students learn leadership Published June 19, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Last week, 135 high school students from Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Mississippi attended the Air Force JROTC summer leadership school at Scott Air Force Base. Every day began at 5:30 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. Activities focused on team building and developing individual leadership skills. "Being on an Air Force installation, the kids get to see what it's like to live and interact with active duty, Reservists and Guardsmen," said Maj. Michael Conley, Dupo High School senior aerospace science instructor. "The biggest thing we want these kids to get out of this week is to step out of their comfort zone. We want them to try something different and step up and be a leader. The entire camp is built on teamwork." For the week, 10 flights, consisting of about 15 students, experienced different aspects of the military including room inspections, physical fitness, and field day activities. The students visited security forces and received honor guard training. Friday, the cadets competed in a flight drill competition. At the end of the week, they participated in a graduation parade at the base parade field. Conley said most of the activities were set up to be team-building activities and to show the students what active duty Air Force life is like. "We teach it in class as a curriculum, but here the kids can actually get hands-on leadership experience," he said. "Some of these schools never get out to an active-duty location, so the kids never get to see what an Air Force installation is like. We vary the activities to keep them busy, but also so they have a good time while they are out here." Conley said that the JROTC program's ultimate goal is to make sure these kids are good citizens when they graduate. "Leadership is one of the key elements of the program," he said. "This is a great opportunity for the kids to be with our young leaders because a lot of the cadre are just a little older and can teach them leadership styles and give them positions they need to make them operate better and be good leaders." Jacob Thomas, a junior at Lockport Township High School in Illinois, and Joshua Purviance, a sophomore at Lafayette in Mississippi, said they learned a lot more than they expected to. "I didn't know what to expect, but after the first day I got the hang of it," Thomas said. "There were a lot of leadership opportunities. Whenever we did drill, my cadre asked if anyone wanted to be the drill commander or carry the guidon. There was a lot of stuff to do, and almost the entire time, we were on our feet, so it was tiring." The young cadets participated in team building exercises to create unity and cohesion within the flights. Purviance said, "There was a game where everyone put on a blindfold and made a square by communicating with each other. In one game we had to throw a ball to others and say their first name, so you learned their names. We played a game where you told two truths and one lie about yourself, and your partner had to figure out which statement was the lie, so you could learn facts about each other more personally." Thomas said one game showed how strong leadership can make the completion of a task smoother and more successful. "During one game, we stood in a circle and held hands with someone across the circle, and then we had to untangle ourselves," he said. "It was fun, but frustrating. The first time, we didn't do very well because everyone was talking. During the second time, only one person was allowed to talk, so we could see the difference between having one person leading." Purviance said that the experiences he went through were tougher than he expected, but he was glad to go through it. Thomas agreed, saying, "I'm sore, but had so much fun--I was happy to be there. Before, I came, I wasn't sure I wanted to do it, but I'm really happy I did."