Osceola High School’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFJROTC) cadets finished a strong 2021-22 school year after racking up an armload of awards and honors — and helping their community.
The high school’s formation, designated (Florida) FL-921, excelled in regional and state drill competitions, achieving three overall firsts, and earning 14 1st place, eight 2nd place, and seven 3rd place team and individual awards.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. David LaTour, Senior Aerospace Science Instructor, leads the cadet corps with the help of fellow Air Force retiree and instructor, Chief Master Sergeant Larry Schneck, and cadet leaders such as Cadet Co. Giselle Rivera.
In addition to the highintensity drill competitions and ceremonies, the true calling of the cadets is to serve their student community and the community at large. Rivera collaborated with the leaders of various OHS student clubs to expand the cadets’ recurring campus cleanup details.
“We paired a school club member with a cadet, and together the combined groups have gathered over half of a ton of refuse and recyclables this past year,” Rivera said of the effort dubbed Operation Keep OHS Clean and Green. It is expected to continue next year and become a campus tradition.
As recently as April of this year, the cadets also picked up trash along the route of their 14-mile hike in honor of the World War II Bataan Death March. The hike started at the prominent Kissimmee Lakefront Park memorial to that dark episode for American and Filipino troops.
“We teach remembrance and honor in past events of our Nation’s history. We held special flag details where we gave homage in honoring the anniversary of the attack on September 11th, 2001, and the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941,” said LaTour, who noted there are also plans being developed for the cadets to help revitalize and maintain the memorial, to a higher standard than provided through normal park upkeep. It has the largest statues of any Bataan Corregidor memorial in the U.S.
In addition to military drill and community projects, another highlight of this year is the introduction of nocost, college-level aviation courses provided by Daytona Beach’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Students can complete courses in Aeronautical Science and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for a total of six college credit hours. Completion of the UAS course includes an aviation industry certification and is great preparation for the Federal Aviation Administration “drone pilot” license test. These courses represent thousands of dollars of value in tuition costs.
This year’s group of cadets also excelled at setting personal physical fitness goals. Over 65 cadets achieved either bronze or silver fitness status, and Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Fernandez was the first in FL-921 history to achieve the gold fitness level.
And the awards continue to roll in. FL-921 learned on May 26, the last day of school, that it had achieved the Distinguished Unit Award with Merit for the second time in its 33-history.
This week, the Department of Air Force Air Education and Training Command announced LaTour was named as a regional-level Outstanding Instructor award winner.
“Through this award, we honor their exemplary contributions and impact on their cadets, school and community,” an announcement from the Command said.
