Wes Garner, Charger Staff
Who said the army isn’t fun? It certainly wasn’t me. On Thursday,
Jan. 17, the second annual JROTC ball was held at the Expo Center.
What a night! Everywhere I looked there were officers turned gentlemen ready
to sweep their ladies off their feet, or vice versa. 
The night started out with a receiving line of the special guests that included
supporters of the JROTC program, our own Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Shanks, and of course,
Sgt. David Frazier and his wife.
When we were seated, Sgt. Frazier acknowledged the guests and called for the
colorguard to post the colors. Regan Steeves began the ceremony of the grog
after the Pledge. The grog is a combination of concoctions from each of the
nine squads.
Each mixture represents a characteristic of the army. The nine are mixed together
to form the drink for the toast.
While waiting for dinner, friendly accusations are made by the students towards
their peers.
These “points of order” are presented to the Vice (this is the judge,
jury, and executioner of the charges made) who administers the punishment to
the defendant. Each of the accused has to perform a somewhat embarassing act.
For example, the men at one of the tables forgot to stand for their ladies,
and they had to sing “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin” to
their dates.
After dinner, Sgt. Frazier introduced the guest speakers. Both Sgt. Jason Murphy,
Cookeville’s retiring Air Force recruiter and Lieutenant Colonel Joe Uzelac,
who will jointly head the JROTC program at CHS with Sgt. Frazier, spoke to the
cadets.
The evening concluded with a dance. Students were auctioned for the first dance
with the proceeds used to support the JROTC program.
I thoroughly enjoyed this evening of patriotism and salute Sgt. Frazier and
all the JROTC cadets for their patriotism. Look for more on JROTC in the next
issue.
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