The Arnold Air Society-Bernard F. Fisher Squadron from BYU ROTC will team up with local Junior ROTC programs this coming Saturday, May 9. BYU ROTC will host the first Junior Utah Military Basic Operations Competition (JUMBO) to show participants’ skills in academics, discipline, physical training, teamwork and leadership.
Provo, Dixie and North Ridge high schools and the Utah Military Academy will attend. BYU ROTC anticipates more than 200 students traveling to attend the JUMBO competition. These students will compete in various activities such as sports, leadership and drills. One school will leave with the title of the best JUMBO JROTC in the state of Utah.
“Cadet Oborn and Cadet Curriden, as well as myself, started planning this event in October,” said BYU Cadet Mitchell Riley. “All the cadets are looking forward to it.”
The JUMBO event provides cadets with the opportunity to mentor these JROTC students and meet their families.
The BYU ROTC does various events during the year such as cleaning the LaVell Edwards Stadium and local cemeteries, participating in the Freedom Festival and serving local veterans. This event allows BYU cadets to connect with perspective ROTC members.
This is a friendly competition for these young cadets and an opportunity for the BYU ROTC to serve local JROTC.
“This event is also time to recruit future BYU ROTC members,” Riley said. “We can talk to family members as well.”
BYU ROTC sees each cadet in its program as future leaders of the community and wants to assist junior programs in the process. BYU ROTC hopes this event will not only help networking but will also create a tradition.
“We have a five- and a 10-year plan,” Riley said. “I hope when I am 75 I can come back to this JUMBO event and talk to current and future ROTC members.”
Currently, Utah has only five JROTC programs. Cadets from BYU go to these schools and give presentations about recruiting. BYU ROTC wants to support these programs and also see more JROTC programs implemented into schools
The event includes a lunch sponsored by Zions Bank and will close with an awards ceremony sponsored by the Diamond Flight Center. This event will be held Saturday, May 9, at the Smith Field House at Brigham Young University from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
