I receive questions all the time and usually provide quick answers for a ceremony happening in a few days or even a few hours. Air Force JROTC created a 30-Step Sequence for freshman cadets like the other service JROTC programs and I recently received several questions about the performance of the sequence.
For the sequence and the best scoresheets to judge it, see the Resources page and scroll down to JROTC.
The Message
My unit (San Angelo Central TX-936, AFJROTC) is trying to make a guide to explain how to properly command the AFJROTC 30-step sequence so that we can stop making the same mistakes over and over again.
Question 1. Does the commander give his flight present arms right before reporting in/reporting out?
Answer. A commander salutes for his formation. If the sequence has the commander bring the flight to Present, do it, but don’t do it otherwise.
Question 2. Should the commander have his flight fall-in in such a way that he is far enough away from his flight that he doesn’t have to move backwards to give open ranks?
Answer. Open Ranks requires the commander to start out at a 3-step distance from the first element. This is the NCO distance and is required because of the dimensions of the drill area. On the command March, the commander is to immediately move to check alignment of the flight since this is what the NCO would do. Moving backwards is unnecessary.
If you are marching as an officer, then you will be six step away, but you would not give Open Ranks outside of a competition, the flight NCO would.
Question 3. When saying ready front after eyes right, should the commander say it while still saluting the judge, or should he say it after he drops his salute?
Answer. The command is given while still rendering the hand salute and the head turned to the right. The judge should not salute, there is a big misconception about this. Judges only salute for the report-in/out (reporting requires an exchange of salutes). The Eyes Right salute is not to or for the judge to react to in the form of a salute, the judge is to react by JUDGING the Eyes Right sequence (error detection and achievement). The flight commander uses the judge’s position to properly enact the sequence of the two commands, that’s it. Six steps before and after the judge is all the flight commander needs to know, whether the judge erroneously salutes or not, is immaterial.
Question 4. How would the commander get on the correct side of his flight after column rights? How is the correct side determined? (We have been told our commanders are on the wrong side for eyes right and flight halt.)
Answer. The commander switching sides is a mostly west coast thing. I even did it in AFJROTC in AZ 79-83. However, there is no provision in AFPAM 34-1203 for the commander to ever switch sides, that’s not supposed to happen. If you still choose to, and I hope you don’t, you must be on the correct side of the flight, next to the first element, for Eyes Right and to halt.
Question 5. If the commander is not directly in front of the judge, should they execute a half left/right face to report in/report out or should they continue facing their current direction?
Answer. The US military does not execute tiny facing movements for anything. When reporting, you turn your head (Army and AF only) to the one receiving the the report. Just the head, not the shoulders or waist.