Lake Braddock students gain life skills from JROTC for education beyond the military

BURKE, Va. (7News) — The military instills leadership skills and discipline in all who choose to raise their hand and serve our country.

Some high schoolers are learning some of the same skills that will serve them in the future, whether they are in uniform or not.

At Lake Braddock Secondary School, there’s no slacking for the Junior ROTC or Reserve Officer Training Corps.

No hoodies and no goofing off on TikTok.

Instead, the students stand at attention with an attention to detail. The placement of their ribbons, the length of their pants, everything is to exact detail all under the watchful eye of the instructor, retired Sgt 1st class Sherman Wiles.

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“When you put on the uniform, you have a standard, and it teaches people standards,” said Cadet Audra Schmitt.

“A lot of them, they’ll excel when they get into the military because of what JROTC has done for them,” said Sgt. Wiles.

These cadets are already excelling. Lake Braddock regularly competes and wins national awards for leadership and academics.

Over the years the JROTC from Lake Braddock has made regular appearances at JLAB, or the JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl, it's a national competition that brings teams from across America to Catholic University in D.C.

And for these students being trained by actual veterans like Sgt. Wiles is invaluable.

“[Veterans are] a lot more real than the teachers around here. Yes, they’ll be a little more brutally honest with you, but that is what you want, that’s a good thing. They make you improve, and they always bring out the best in all of our cadets,” said Cadet Kamilla Welborn.

“It's rewarding when you can take a young kid, a young lady, a young man, and you see they need mentorship, they need guidance, and you can help provide that, and you see them go on to become successful,” said Sgt. Wiles.

But the service is not the end goal.

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“Most of us don’t even want to go into the military,” said Welborn.

“This is not a recruiting tool for the military, believe it or not,” said Wiles. “We stress the importance of good citizenship, being a productive member of the community, making good decisions, and trying to further your education outside of school."

Cadet Kamila Welborn wants to go to George Mason University and major in Biology. This course taught her responsibility and time management.

“You develop more skills in this class and you have more opportunities than I have ever known of in this entire school. You get put into leadership positions and that makes you accountable to your actions, it makes you accountable to the actions of the people that are under you,” said Welborn.

The lessons they take from Lake Braddock will serve them well in their careers and with all they interact with. So you could say whether they end up in a uniform or not, they are still serving their fellow Americans.