Walla Walla High School JROTC "Cadet of the Month" earns on-the-spot promotion

January 6, 2011
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Walla Walla High School JROTC "Cadet of the Month" earns on-the-spot promotion
The Walla Walla High School JROTC Blue Devils Cadet Battalion has selected its "Cadet of the Month" for December 2010 and rewarded her achievement with an immediate promotion.

Cadet Cpl. Angela Romo, an 18-year-old senior, was promoted to this new rank after she won the top spot with a total score of 311 points, according to the presiding official on the board.

The top Cadet was selected from two candidates who were inspected and examined in oral interviews by a board of four advanced Cadets, according to Lt. Col. Bill Bialozor, Senior Army Instructor for the Walla Walla High School's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

Romo said that she joined JROTC because she thought it would be a good experience and it would get her ready for serving in the Army. She plans to pursue a career in the Army after graduating high school. She enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends, and coming up with funny stories.

"Her strongest competitive category was her extremely well put together uniform," said Cadet Command Sgt. Maj. Seth Thomas. "This Cadet of the Month was a close match, since both of the Cadets' performances were outstanding.. Runner up was Cadet Pvt. Sara Beko, a 14-year-old freshman, whose strongest suit was her confidence. She came in a close second with 253 points.

"After the board tallied the points and the winner was clear, we held a ceremony to promote the winning Cadet one rank higher, to recognize her for her hard work and personal success," said Bialozor.

Wa-Hi JROTC Cadets participate in the program to develop leadership skills and to strive to be better citizens in society. Many Cadets compete with drill, marksmanship, and physical training teams as well as attend the class. These Cadets get to travel to and compete in drill meets at 16 other schools in the Cascade Division that include Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy Cadet programs.