1. sports
2. cheerleading

Kevin Pimpinelli
AFJROTC Naugatuck High School, CT-941
29 April 2015
How has JROTC prepared me to be a better citizen of the United States of America?
A good citizen has a number of qualities, all of which help to better the community and
the individual person. Some characteristics of a good citizen are the following: volunteer to be
active in your community, be honest and trustworthy, follow rules and laws, and be informed
about the world around you, protect the environment, be a good neighbor, and take responsibility
for your actions. AFJROTC at my school has helped me to be a better citizen in many ways.
AFJROTC does many community service projects including our biannual river cleanup
project and color guard team events. Twice a year, cadets go to Linden Park along the banks of
the Naugatuck River, and pick up trash and debris. We also pull out tires and shopping carts
from the water which greatly enhances the eco system life in the river. Our well respected color
guard team has donated our time to present the colors at numerous community events and
parades throughout the year as well.
Our unit goes on many educational field trips and this affords us a chance to better
understand our country, select possible careers, and also get outside of our small community here
in Naugatuck. I have participated in many of these field trips, including the presentation of the
colors at a hockey game at the Webster arena. It was a wonderful experience. Forty cadets went
on the ice and held a field size American flag while the National Anthem was being played.
From this informative trip we learned the behind the scenes activities that go on to make a
hockey game possible as well as careers in sports management. Another wonderful field trip we
embarked on was to the Connecticut state capitol. We met with our State Representative for
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Naugatuck. This was a rewarding trip because we were able to tour the capitol building and
speak to our state representatives. As a citizen of the United States, it is important to know
exactly how the government works. This trip definitely showed us how the state government
functions. We are going on a trip in April 2015 to visit the 9/11 memorial in New York City to
better understand the threats, past and present, to our nation and our democracy. Hopefully, our
trip to the 9/11 memorial and museum will be great experience for all of us to learn about the
devastating horrors of the events of 9/11.
Another great aspect to JROTC is our fund raising efforts that we do each year to pay for
our field trips. These events are always a team effort. Last October we had a bake sale at WalMart that was a huge success. Last June we had an ultimate Frisbee competition for all cadets
that was followed by a barbeque which enhanced our unit’s esprit de corps. We are planning on
doing a similar event this year, and we will be playing kickball and we expect this to be equally
successful.
Finally, our drill team activities have been the highlight of my three years in the unit.
The cohesiveness of our members and the tireless efforts of our leaders have made being on the
drill team one of the most important aspects of the program. As a student who plans to apply to
the United States Coast Guard Academy next year, the formal drill and ceremonies aspect of the
AFJROTC program gives me the foundation and discipline to succeed and become a good
leader.
AFJROTC has definitely prepared me to be a better citizen of the United States of
America. I have learned many things about the United States government, how businesses
function, and how to create activities that will gain people’s attention and sustain a JROTC unit.
The activities and events that our JROTC unit has conducted have taught us to be better citizens
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through our community service events, our educational field trips, our fundraising events and our
superior drill team. All of these combined have made me a much more informed and
knowledgeable citizen of the United States of America.
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