Sussex Tech establishes Coast Guard JROTC program
Local and national dignitaries visited Sussex Technical High School Nov. 3 to assist in the establishment of the state’s first U.S. Coast Guard JROTC.
In March 2022, Sussex Tech announced it was establishing the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps unit beginning with the 2022-23 school year.
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, a U.S. Navy veteran, told students he attended college on an ROTC scholarship before serving three tours of duty in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
During his time in the military, Carper said, he learned the skills and disciplined ways to take care of himself, his squad and his state, and urged students to aim high and work hard to reach their goals.
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath, Fifth Coast Guard District commander, presented cadet commanding officers with the Coast Guard flag as the cadets formally took charge of their units.
Gilreath commended cadets’ commitment to the program and their community, which, he said, is not without challenges, and compared cadets to the keel, which is the strongest part of a ship.
“You are that keel in this program,” Gilreath said. “You are that foundation.”
Nicholas McGowen, president of the Liberty Chapter of the Chief Petty Officer Association, presented the new JROTC with a $500 check.
McGowen, also chief boatswain mate officer in charge, aids-to-navigation, Philadelphia, said the association is a nonprofit organization that provides support to shipmates, their families and local communities with a specific focus on suicide prevention.
