Kalani High School officially activated its newly formed Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, the first of its kind in Hawaii.
The inaugural class of 25 cadets will officially get started next semester. On Thursday, Coast Guardsmen, school families and faculty members gathered in the school's gym for a kickoff ceremony. Chief Petty Officer Ash Armstrong, who will be the cadets' instructor, told attendees, "In this program we are not only introducing young men and women to the proud legacy of the United States Coast Guard, we are also instilling in them the core principles that will guide them as future leaders."
JROTC programs are administered and partly funded by the U.S. military. They are distinct from the ROTC programs on college campuses, run by active-duty service members, that train students in military tactics and eventually commission them as military officers. JROTC instructor roles are filled mostly by military retirees and occasionally by late-career, active-duty personnel, and are not officially considered a recruitment program.
"It is about developing character, resilience, a sense of responsibility [that] extends beyond the classroom," said Armstrong. "These cadets will learn discipline, teamwork and problem-solving skills that will serve them well, whether they pursue a career in the armed forces, higher education or any other path they choose."
Coast Guard District 14 Commander Rear Adm. Sean Regan said the Coast Guard's small nationwide JROTC program boasts a 100% graduation rate and that about 27% of graduates pursue a military career after. Regan said, "If anybody ever infers that this generation of men and women are not go-getters, I offer they come here and meet with these folks. They are just fantastic young citizens and emerging patriots."
JROTC programs have existed since 1914, but the Coast Guard didn't have one of its own until it activated its first in Florida in 1989. It has only 14 programs nationwide, with the newest at Kalani, but in 2024, Congress mandated that it open at least one in each of its nine active districts.
The new program at Kalani is the first and so far only one in District 14, which includes Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. The island communities of District 14 are uniquely dependent on the ocean, and the Coast Guard is active throughout the region doing search and rescue missions, safety inspections and fishery enforcement patrols.
Rochelle Mahoe, the state Department of Education's complex-area superintendent for Kalani High, said that "through the maritime science courses and experiences, our cadets will gain invaluable experience and knowledge and open doors to exciting new careers in maritime industries and beyond."
Capt. Clay Cromer, head of Coast Guard JROTC programs, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the program is designed to give students a greater appreciation of the role the ocean plays in their lives.
Cromer said that "from an academic perspective, they're going to learn about not only our Coast Guard missions and the maritime domain, but also about commerce and about environmental stewardship, environmental protection, you know, and being good citizens and just an awareness how much of our economic supply chain depends on the maritime domain."
Cadet Arellano Manzi, 14, a freshman at Kalani High who has taken on the role of company executive officer for the new class of 25 cadets, said he had long had an interest in the military and was drawn to the program because "I thought I could do good. I wanted to really test my strengths to see how I would deal with other people."
Manzi admitted that at this point he's still uneasy to be a leader, and volunteered mostly because he thought it would help him compete in national competitions. But he said he's curious about the opportunities the Coast Guard could offer and is interested in one day pursuing a career as a pilot.
The Coast Guard has historically been the smallest U.S. military branch until the creation of the Space Force, which counts just over 4,000 service members. But the Space Force's proposed budget next fiscal year of roughly $29.4 billion dwarfs the roughly $14.2 billion the Coast Guard is slated to receive.
Nevertheless, it has played a central -- and growing -- role in U.S. Pacific policy. In February 2023 senior Coast Guard commanders said the service intends to triple its deployments in the Pacific region in coming years. But by December, shortfalls in retaining and recruiting Coast Guardsmen in part forced the service to shut down several facilities and retire several vessels around the country.
As demand for the Coast Guard's skills continues unabated, the service has felt the strain as it fights for funding and resources. During a congressional hearing in March, Coast Guard deputy commandant for mission support Vice Adm. Paul Thomas said the service was operating with a deficit of about 4,800 members, or nearly 10% of its workforce, even as it continues day-to-day missions.
"We are losing our surge force," Thomas told lawmakers. "If we had to respond to a hurricane or oil spill or crisis on the southwest border like we have in the past, then you would see some real problems with regard to our ability to maintain our regular missions."
But in the meantime the service continues to make do. Armstrong said the Coast Guard plays a unique role among the military branches in that "our direct job is related with the community."
Armstrong is retiring from the Coast Guard and will stay at Kalani after his retirement in early 2025 as the JROTC instructor. He has a long history in Hawaii : He first came to isles after enlisting in the Army and served on Oahu as a Cavalry Scout, before going to college and joining the Coast Guard after graduation, taking him right back to the islands.
Throughout his Coast Guard career, Armstrong has worked in logistics with assignments both on land and at sea in the Pacific. He said when the opportunity to take on the program at Kalani came up just as he was readying to leave the service, it seemed like the ideal fit for him.
"I like doing instruction. I enjoy teaching," said Armstrong. "Everything just kind of serendipitously fell into place with this."
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