SAN BENITO — For the sixth year in a row, the San Benito NJROTC unit has been named one of Area 10’s Distinguished Units for the 2016-2017 school year.
The group moved up to the fourth spot overall.
Last year, the group came in 10th place, said NJROTC Captain Nels Swanson.
“We moved up to fourth overall, earning the Academic Honors designation again, and besting our local rivals over in Los Fresnos for the first time,” Swanson said.
Last year, the group also earned a commendation award for “Academic Honors.”
In addition to the credit gained through competition trips during the year, the cadets reached this milestone by logging 4,688 community and public service hours and 2,186 school support hours.
Those surpassed last year’s totals by 18 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
The group is no stranger to hard work and success.
In February, the group comprised of Unarmed, Armed, Color Guard, Physical Fitness and Academics Teams qualified for Area 10 State Drill Competition after earning second place at W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi.
Area 10 covers locations from Dallas to Los Fresnos and Laredo to Beaumont.
With that win, the NJROTC competed for one of the two spots to participate at the national competition at Texas A&M University in Houston.
This year, they surpassed that.
“This is a significant milestone, achieved on the sacrifice, hard work, and determination of our cadets and also their families,” Swanson said.
“Lost to most cadets, but not unknown to your instructor cadre, is the strong support (and patience oftentimes) for our activities and the program overall. This could not have been done without you all.”
