Upstream Prevention
The VA NJ Health Care System attended the Orange NJ Junior ROTC Change of Command Ceremony held at Bell Stadium in Orange
During this event, the transfer of leadership from one commander to their successor is conducted in a simple exchange during which the new leader states their readiness to take charge, the incumbent announces their preparation to relinquish command.
The Orange High School Junior ROTC Program is led by Chief Thomas Sperduto, who began his military career in the Marine Corps in 1991 and retired from the Coast Guard as a Public Affairs Specialist in 2014. His military service includes deployment to 30 countries as an infantry machine gunner in the Marine Corps until 1995.
Chief Sperduto and Barry Devone, Community Engagement Officer for Orange Township Public Schools feel strongly that partnering with Veterans Affairs is a beautiful opportunity. Cadets are able to honor those who served and partner with those who chose a life of serving our country's heroes while getting a first-hand look at various career and educational opportunities. This partnership will also create opportunities for us to work together to identify service members, veterans, and their families through active engagement with the cadets, families and community. We also want to provide support and resources to our NJROTC Instructors who are Veterans that continue to serve and mentor the youth.
The NJROTC program was established by Public Law in 1964 and is conducted at accredited secondary schools throughout the nation, and until recently taught only by instructors who are retired Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel. Congress just recently included a provision to expand JROTC instructor eligibility in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Now recently separated officers’ and noncommissioned officers who served honorably, and service members serving in the U.S Army Reserves or the Army National Guard are also eligible. This of course given that these individual meet education, grade, and service requirements. The NJROTC program provides students with many opportunities’ leadership potential, the promotion of higher education, community service, development of a high degree of personal honor, self-reliance, individual discipline, and leadership. The program also provides information on military services as a possible career.
According to a February 2000 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, the armed service chiefs of staff testified that 30%–50% of graduating JROTC cadets go on to join the military. The Army says 44 percent of all soldiers who entered its ranks in recent years came from a school that offered J.R.O.T.C. Testimony from other military officials went on to say almost 50 percent of the folks that go out of the Air Force Junior ROTC go into one of the Services by enlisting or going to ROTC or going to one of the academies. It is important to note JROTC does not obligate any student to enter the military at any level. Neither does the JROTC program recruit students for any military service.
The Orange High School Navy Junior ROTC Program currently has alumni cadets attending the University of Maine and San Diego on ROTC scholarships and will be commissioned Navy and Marine Corps officers upon graduation. They also have a cadet attending Harvard University. Their program was established in 2017, and this year, is one of four NJROTC schools selected for Navy certification as a fully funded program due to the success of the program.
Chief Sperduto said “Being an NJROTC instructor allows me to be a teacher, mentor, and role model to my students. It gives me the opportunity every day to put into practice the leadership qualities of the role model who changed everything for me: compassion, truth, selflessness, and a commitment and love for serving others. I chose to be an NJROTC instructor because it perfectly aligned with my values, and these things are most important to me. I aim to meet the needs of my cadets on a personal level. As cadets grow as leaders, they do the same. The program stands on family values and empowers my students to face their fears by knowing they do not have to do so alone.” The photos featured in this story are of two Orange High School Navy Junior ROTC cadets, Karen Santamaria and Joderson Remy who enlisted in the Air Force. We are humbled to support them in their journey. For our veterans, and active service members serving as Rotc instructors gives them a sense of purpose, meaning, connection, and a sense of community.
As a Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator, I believe we must create opportunities for veterans, active service members, their families, and future military to establish a relationship with our healthcare system. I want them to know about programs, services, and resources before, during, and after. Through this program we will work together to help improve access and awareness of mental health care and suicide prevention programs and services. Next year I am hopeful the students will also be able to participate in volunteer opportunities at our facility. Through this, the students will be able to participate in civic engagement and learn about the many diverse career options available to them in their community.
Our outreaches, events, community service, and civic engagement activities with community members will help us to promote healthy connections. We are also partnering with local organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Military Child Coalition to support resilience through educational trainings and programs. We will promote military family readiness, resilience, well-being, and quality of life and in doing so increase the communities’ protective factors.
As we continue to create awareness and education we want to identify and support people at risk. To do this we plan to train gatekeepers to respond to crises through gatekeeper training.
It is so important for our community to get to know us. To feel we care for them and to meet them everywhere they are every step of the way, so care can be provided different points, with a collaboration of providers, and over time.