BHS Navy JROTC earns top honors over 67 schools

The Belleville High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Course (JROTC) has been named #1 out of 67 schools in a ten-state area.
Gunny Sgt. Matthew Barr, retired from the U.S. Marine Corps and a resident of Van Buren Township, has been the Naval Science Instructor of the group since its inception at BHS three years ago. He said he is very excited and very proud that the BHS unit was named Distinguished Unit for Area 3, which covers ten states.
It’s the highest award they could get.
He said he has 105 kids involved throughout the year. The Navy policy is for groups of over 80, there should be at least two instructors, but he is doing it alone. He said that’s for the Navy to decide.
After a recent inspection of the BHS unit, Commander Jordan said the unit was in the top five in the nation and predicted within the next two years it will be named best in the nation.
Commander Jordan inspected the administration, knowledge, uniforms, activities, sports, air rifle use, academic teams, and more.
GYSGT Barr said the unit is run by the class and they operate under strict rules.
He said there is a three-strike rule and when there are deviations from the rules, the students decide what to do about it. For example, if a student doesn’t wear a uniform one time, the student is given a second chance, but the third strike is definite.
He said the kids are dedicated and they need those standards.
He remembers on the first day of his class he kicked out 20 students. He said they were mainly football players and they had attitudes. He recalled 15 came back begging to be let in.
Barr said currently they are returning their uniforms for the summer and so he couldn’t have the color guard for Monday’s Memorial Day event in Belleville. He said his students wore their tees and helped by reading out names, moving chairs, and other services.
Barr said a lot of what they do is to have the students participate in the community and learn how to be informed citizens.
He said the military ball they put on recently was so good it “rivaled active-duty” balls. He said students had to learn the history of the ball and then take care of the multitude of details to put it on.
Van Buren Public Schools Supt. Pete Kudlak recently told the school board how impressed he was with the ball he attended.
Barr said he recently took 30 cadets to a mini boot camp at Fort Custer in Augusta Township. They were there with a group from River Rouge and the two units got along well. He said he has received requests from River Rouge to do other things with them. He said the boot camp focused on working together as a team.
He said one of the activities at camp was to rappel from a three-story building.
“They were terrified, but they all did it,” he said. “One of the things we teach is overcoming fears.”
He said the JROTC’s five academic teams recently competed and all placed among the top 30% of 500 schools, including individuals placing sixth, eighth, and 19th.