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Supporting the new WHS Air Force Junior ROTC program

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Ret. Air Force Col. Ben Akins, WHS AFJROTC Program lead and VFW Member, with Post Commander Brad Pieratt, each in their respective dress uniforms.

In November of 2021, Wenatchee High School (WHS) received approval from the United States Airforce to offer an Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) program starting in August for the 2022-23 school year. Not only is this program the first of its kind in the Wenatchee Valley (the nearest ROTC program being in Moses Lake), WHS received their approval in just 18 months, half of the expected 3 year time frame for most approvals.

Retired Air Force Colonel and VFW member Ben Akins is the Commander for this new program. Available to Wenatchee School District students in grades 9-12, the AFJROTC program provides high school students with a new opportunity to earn core and elective credits. The program is designed to educate and train cadets in citizenship, promote community service, and instill personal responsibility, character, and self-discipline. The program achieves this through classroom education in air and space fundamentals and hands-on learning opportunities in a number of fun and challenging extra-curricular activities. AFJROTC is not a USAF accessions program and cadets are never under any obligation to join the military.

Ret. Air Force Col. Ben Akins, WHS AFJROTC Program lead and VFW Member, with Post Commander Brad Pieratt, each in their respective dress uniforms.On May 20th of this year, the WHS AFJROTC Program held their very first Dining Out ceremony to recognize the cadets and their accomplishments during this inaugural year. The formal Dining Out was held at the Wenatchee Convention Center and attended by cadets and their parents, community leaders, and guests. After a wonderful dinner, we heard from the guest speaker, Retired US Army Brigadier General Richard Black, as he praised the cadets’ hard work this school year and to prepare wisely for their future after school. Then, annual awards and promotions were given out to the cadets for their accomplishments during the past school year. VFW Post 3617 Commander Brad Pieratt was on hand to present the VFW JROTC award as well. The program closed out with a 15-minute slideshow of all the different activities the cadets had experienced.

It was a great evening to spend time with the cadets and their families, and meet the other instructors for the program at WHS. This was a very successful year for the first class of JROTC cadets as evidenced by an expected enrollment of almost twice the number of students entering the program next year.