Recently, the Belleville High School Navy JROTC Cadets participated in a four day mini-boot camp adventure at Fort Custer Air National Guard Base.
This is the yearly culminating event for the cadets which enables them to apply what they have learned in the program throughout the school year, and to experience a taste of real military life by sleeping in squad bays, waking up early, conducting physical training, completing numerous leadership and confidence course challenges, and eating some of the finest cuisine; military MREs and chow hall.
The students completed leadership reaction challenges where they were required to work as a team to navigate through complex obstacles, simulating real-life scenarios, and applying critical thinking.
They also faced several confidence course obstacles designed to challenge their fears and push them outside of their comfort zone to become more confident and stronger leaders. To further enhance their team building, the students were given maps of the area with grid points and were required to plot points on a map, then utilize a compass to navigate through the woods and find their points without using a GPS or other electronic devices. Lastly, the students received weapons handling and safety training from the National Guard shooting team.
The combined efforts and support from the students, families, instructors, Van Buren Public Schools staff, and National Guard, greatly contributed to the success of our students and enabled us to fulfill the Belleville High School vision of Purpose, Excellence, and ACHIEVEMENT.
Michael Bates, Captain, USMC (ret.)
NJROTC Naval Science Instructor