The Graveside Sequence For Funeral Directors Part 1

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This is a Full Honors Funeral with all elements present. A Standard Honor Funeral would encompass the pallbearers also firing the Three-Volley Salute as the firing party. Military and first responder funerals are about the deceased, but for the family. With that being, the family needs to be able to see every element of the honor guard. In the image …

JROTC Cadets May Not Wear Service Uniform Items

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UPDATE: AFJROTC cadets may wear the Hap Arnold, Wing and Star cap device only if the unit has written permission from HQ AFJROTC. Individual cadets may not wear the device, but special teams may with the written permission. For more on seeking permission, read the article, New AFJROTC Drill Team Uniform Policy. JROTC Cadets May Not Wear ANY Service Uniform Items. …

An Embarrassing Color Guard Performance

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I created this article for two reasons: Help deflect questions that usually arise and come my way. The questions go something like this: “Can we do this/[is this proper] for our color guard?” Communicate to everyone, even Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, law enforcement, and firefighters that what you do is usually caught on camera and/or video and affects others in …

Create Goals, not Dreams

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But not just goals, SMART Goals The difference between a goal and a SMART goal is your goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. SMART goals give you a much better avenue to reach your goals. Your dreams are the fuel that drives the high-performance goal engine. Specific Broad, general terms are not going to help. What, …

The JROTC “Feeder” Program

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If your JROTC unit does not have a plan on how to recruit at the local elementary schools that feed your high school, then you need to implement a strategy this school year! JROTC programs need cadets, that we know. If 8th-grade students are unaware of the benefits of JROTC (leadership, organization skills, drill team, etc.), then those students will probably …

Resistance to Change: Betrayal?

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I felt the need to follow up the article that published last week, Resistance to Change: The Five Monkeys Syndrome. My help is sought out on a consistent basis from high school and college drill teams and also first responder honor guard units. I teach courses and, when asked, also give free advice over the phone, through email or on videos …

Resistance to Change: The Five Monkeys Syndrome

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Even if you are a cadet in high school JROTC or in Sea Cadet, Young Marines, etc. you may have come across this syndrome. If you are an adult, you most definitely have come across this. Please watch this short video before reading on and it will explain. Image courtesy of Sharon Browning and Associates. [embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-PvBo75PDo[/embedyt] Now, we are …

My Cadet Hero

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The best reason for JROTC, in my view, is that high school cadets can wear a military uniform and participate in different activities no matter their physical issues. I have worked with JROTC units for many years and have had the opportunity to work with many, many cadets. Of those cadets I have seen some with physical issues that would …

Creating the “Drill Buddy” Concept for Your Unit

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The Army and Marine Corps have the Battle Buddy system. The Navy and Coast Guard have Shipmates and the Air Force incorporated it’s Wingman system service-wide in the late 2000s. Maybe you are not familiar with this concepts but might see the opportunity to adopt it once you see how it works.Honor guard units and drill teams can use this to …

JROTC Cadets Wearing Military Service Accouterments

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There is a problem at the JROTC level that has nothing to do with drill- “Education is key!” There seems to be a severe lack of education with some JROTC instructors regarding the wear of military service items on JROTC uniforms. I have photos of AFJROTC units wearing the Base Honor Guard cookie, which I will not post here. These …