January 19, 2008, the Special Forces Team competed in the Pearl Harbor Challenge held at Pearl Harbor Naval Base.  To get ready for this event cadets start their workout at 6:00am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Before their hardcore workout they warm up with rotations, stretches and calisthenics.  A basic line-up is, Mondays: Muscle Failure, Wednesdays: Running and Fridays: Rope work and combinations.  Even though the team didn’t place they still had their spirit… “Hardcore to the floor SF team for ever more GREEN BERRET!”

On January 24, 2008, cadets took a field trip to the US Coast Guard Station at Sand Island.  We took advantage of the opportunity and had fun boarding several boats.  It was an enjoyable experience that we will never forget.  “It was amazing and I had a lot of fun but the other team got to ride the boat and we didn’t.” said Cadet Shawn Cady-Ramos.  That same day three lucky cadets traveled to the Punahou School President’s home to have lunch with Major General W. Montegue Winfield, Commanding General of US Army Cadet Command.  It was an educational and motivating experience.  I have to say, “To cadet’s eyes he is like a celebrity, but the way he interacts with you is like how you would interact with an old friend”.  Three cadets from each school that has an Army JROTC unit were invited along with their instructors.  Radford HS Navy JROTC was invited as well.  C/LTC Wilhelm Soriano and C/LTC Dionare Navasca, including myself, represented Farrington, but the surprise does not end there as our own Ms. Catherine Payne was at the luncheon too.  Meeting MG Winfield and listening to his uplifting words are life changing.

Was JROTC in China?  No silly, Honolulu’s China Town!  On February 2, 2008 the cadets of the Governors’ Guard Battalion along with junior cadets of Dole and Kalakaua Middle Schools marched in the China Town Parade in celebration of the Chinese New Year.  All cadets sounded off as we led the parade down Hotel Street and our exhibition team wowed the crowed.

Probowl players in town!  On February 8, 2008 four cadets along with Army Instructor 1SG Efren Aguilar went to the Oahu Veterans Center to plant trees with pro football player Duce Latai.  Duce gave us an autographed Super Bowl football to remind us of the day.

The following week, cadets of the Warren Central HS Dragon Battalion from Bolling Green Kentucky visited Hawaii.  On the 15th of February they came to Farrington to visit Governor Cadets.  For about two hours we mingled and talked about our similarities and differences.  It was an amazing visit for them, you could tell, because most of them wanted to stay longer.  Later that day cadets Alvin Yasay and Shayne Sodetani took a flight with USAF Colonel Victor Bonfiglio, who is the Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Moanalua HS Air Force JROTC.  With the Colonel, they went up high into the sky to learn how to fly a double engine aircraft.  Alvin and Shayne even got to try out their piloting skills and flew the plane hands on around the island.

After that amazing day with the Dragon Battalion and the breath-taking flight lesson, the Govs Guard competed in the Hickam Drill Meet on Saturday February 16.  Cadets practiced hard despite the limited time we had.  Farrington was entered in five drill categories.  The teams were: Unarmed Regulation commanded by C/1LT Hossana Terrado, Armed Regulation commanded by C/CSM Alexis Antinero, Color Guard commanded by C/SGM Lovejoy Manzano, Inspection Drill commanded by C/CPT Herald Nones and Tangle Foot commanded by C/LTC Wilhelm Soriano.  At the award ceremony cadets Hossana and Lovejoy were awarded third place for their teams and cadet Alexis was awarded second place.  Go GOVS!  Cadets Lovejoy Manzano and Daisy Alob earned individual medals for placing in the top 10 out of over 150 cadets in the unarmed and armed O’Brady Knock Out events.  The same evening cadets Alexis and Dionare attended the 9th Regional Readiness Command Military Ball representing all cadets of the Governors’ Guard Battalion.  It was a night to remember and another of the many special events we get to do because we are cadets.

So what has JROTC been up to? Funny you should ask, because we have done a lot since the last article.

On November 8, 2007, soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division also known as the “Wolf Hounds” visited Farrington High School. In early 2006, fine arts teacher Ruth Brown-Dunham started a program that got students to send letters to soldiers in Iraq. My last article it told how Farrington sent over 2200 letters and cards. The Wolf Hounds talked to students and teachers about their experiences in Iraq and about the tough living conditions. They even showed pictures of the base where they lived. It was a good experience for everyone because we now know a little more about what is really going on in Iraq. The soldiers also talked about fallen comrades who were their close friends. Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Tamilyn Mendiola put together a scrap book of all the news articles of the war which included fallen soldiers of the Wolf Hounds. The following day Veterans of the Korean War presented at the auditorium. They talked about the war it self and memories like how they had turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you may see cadets of the Special Forces Team working out at 6AM in the morning with their commander Cadet Sergeant Major Alvin Yasay. Well, on October 26th and 27th the Special Forces Team participated in the Navy Team Challenge out at Scholfield (this is where the 6 o’ clock workouts come in handy). Our three teams, all female team, male and a mixed team competed in physically challenging events. Our all women’s team took first place in tug-o-war challenge and rappelling event and our others brought home two third place trophies. Way to go Govs!

The following week the cadets marched in the Waianae parade. Cadets from other schools and the Govs’ Guard marched a mile and a half motivating residents with cadences. Later that day The Governors’ Guard Battalion participated in their first competition of the year the Nanakuli Drill Meet. This Nanakuli drill meet was very difficult from the humid weather and well prepared teams from the other schools competing. We entered teams in six of the seven competition categories. The teams are: Unarmed Regulation commanded by Cadet 1st Lieutenant Hossana Terrado, Armed Regulation commanded by Cadet 1st Lieutenant Halen Yacapin, Alternate Arms Regulation commanded by Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Lorelei Sugue, Color Guard commanded by Cadet First Sergeant Sweetangel Figuracion, Unarmed Exhibition commanded by Cadet Captain Shayne Sodetani, and Alternate Arms Exhibition commanded by Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Wilhelm Soriano. Cadets practice for hours at a time and it paid off when at the competition’s award ceremony, Cadets Sugue and Sodetani were awarded first place for their teams and Cadets Yacapin and Soriano were awarded third for their teams. Kudos to our drill teams!

Usually the day after Thanksgiving people are either stuffed full of turkey or standing in line for the famous “After Thanksgiving Sale,” but no, cadets are still out there helping others. On November 23, 2007 cadets traveled to The Sheraton Hotel to support the Adult Friends for Youth (AFFY) Annual Fundraiser Auction. The AFFY is a program that helps kids stay off the streets and it provides an alternative to gangs. There cadets helped the volunteers take care of guest. For example when the live auction was under way cadets would help the auctioneer notice that a guest was biding. To do this, cadets would hold up a red flag high when a bid was made. The cadets had a blast of fun even though it was a long night they even got to meet Jordan Segundo, Jasmine Trias and Frank Delima!

As you can see cadets are on their feet and we really keep moving!

Have you ever wondered what the cadets of the Governors’ Guard Battalion did over the summer? Well, we did plenty. One of the most touching events was held at Haleku’ike Long Term Care Center on Flag Day June 14, 2007. Three of our drill teams performed for the senior citizens. First the color guard led by Cadet Sergeant Major Lovejoy Manzano, presented the colors (flags) to honor Flag Day. Next the unarmed exhibition team led by Cadet Captain Shayne Sodetani and Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Wilhelm Soriano used fancy drill movements to create their routine. Last to perform the armed exhibition team, led by Cadet Captain Herald Nones, used movements that required spinning of the rifle. To end the day, the cadets and the seniors enjoyed red, white and blue cake, talking story, and taking a tour around the area.

From June 19 th to June 20th ten of our cadets helped health teacher, Ms. Lee Myers, clean her classroom and prepare for next year. The cadets did a lot of dusting, wiping, and moving to get the room cleaned up. Cadet First Sergeant Sweet Angel Figuracion said “We threw a lot of old stuff away and made things pretty!”

Farrington High School has participated in letter writing to deployed soldiers of the 25 th Infantry Division for more than a year now. Over the year soldiers in Iraq have received more than 2,200 letters. On June 29, 2007 three cadet officers delivered over 300 letters to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. After the delivery, the cadets had lunch with soldiers at the Bronco Inn Dining Hall. A tour of the 25 th Infantry Division Museum ended the day.

On July 7, 2007 the cadets led the Samoan Flag Day parade with the color guard and honor guard teams. Other color guard events this summer included the graduations of Remington College, Heald College and the OIA Athletics Award Ceremony in the FHS auditorium. We held a grounds clean-up on July 21st. Cadets and members of the Kalihi Church of LDS participated in this community service project. The cadets and members of LDS cleaned the JROTC range trimming trees and weeds, cleaning the parking lot and the area around the gym.

For more advanced leadership cadets of the Command and Staff held a mini- “Leadership Course”. The cadets had classes that were focused on drill element practices, leadership, and everything they had reviewed the year before. After the classes everyone enjoyed watching movies, had a BBQ, and played fun games. In the morning, the cadets did physical fitness, ate breakfast, and went home. The following week, the first day for freshmen arrived on July 31 st. Twenty cadets participated in the orientation to help the class of 2011 get off to a good start. For further entertainment the unarmed exhibition and armed exhibition teams performed. Now we are ready to begin an exciting new school year 2007-2008. GO GOVS!