.jpg "The JROTC Barracuda Battalion takes part in the 5K Fun Run at St. Croix. (Photo provided by USVI JROTC)")
Across the nation, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp program is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in many ways, including hosting one of the largest runs in military history.
In the territory, four school programs took part in the worldwide run April 23.
The JROTC Anniversary Fun Run is a one-of-a-kind event allowing participants around the world to run together. Each time zone’s start time was synchronized to 3 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time.
"VI-JROTC thanks you for the participation and support of the program and its cadets across the territory," said Col. Eddy Charles, JROTC area coordinator for the USVI.
"Of course, it was great to have our guardsmen and parents with us," he said in a news release. "Mentorship is important and your presence says it all."
The Mighty Rays Battalion ran at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School track; the Barracuda Battalion ran at St. Croix Educational Complex High School; the St. Croix Central High School’s Carib Battalion ran along the South Shore Road on St. Croix and the Chicken Hawk Battalion ran at the Charlotte Amalie High School track.
Programs in the Virgin Islands are directed by:
– Sergeant First Class Alex Roberts – Charlotte Amalie High School;
– Colonel Alfred Francis – Ivanna Eudora Kean High School;
– Major Fernando Webster – St. Croix Central High School;
– Colonel Eddy Charles – St. Croix Educational Complex High School.
After the runs, JROTC had a cake cutting ceremony and refreshments.
