The Poplar Bluff High School Pvt. Billie Kanell JROTC Battalion held its Change of Command Ceremony on Thursday.
Cadet Lt. Col. Alyssa Brown handed over leadership duties of the battalion to newly commissioned Cadet Lt. Col. Dustin Ramsey.
Parents, teachers, and representatives from several organizations were on hand to recognize those cadets that earned commendations and awards during the ceremony.
Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the pandemic and the battalion welcomed a new senior army instructor back in April. Lt. Col Scott Kulla spoke of his admiration for Poplar Bluffs JROTC program.
“I was amazed by this group. I was the professor of military science up in Southern Illinois University-Carbondale five years ago and this battalion falls under the purview of that command,” he said. “When I had the opportunity to retire recently, I came to Major Crites and asked, how long are you going to do this?
“He said, actually, I’m going to let you take over, so it worked out. I was on my way out; he was ready to be done.
“I have a great honor and privilege. I tell these kids every day, this is the best assignment I’ve ever had, because they really want to be here and they’re volunteering to be here. And it’s a really neat opportunity. It’s a great, great group of kids and they want to be better than the average citizen inside this organization. They want to be better adults. So, it’s a lot of fun.”
The importance of holding this year’s event was not lost on Kulla.
“The importance of today’s event is to recognize all of the accomplishments that we didn’t get to recognize publicly last year and inspire them,” Kulla said. “They get this opportunity to be inspired and to want to achieve greater things, because at the end of the day, they’re all trying to be just a little bit better. They’re trying to achieve something.”
Over 50 awards were handed out to students that have excelled in academics, discipline, leadership, and challenges (see sidebar). Cadet Private 1st Class Logan Davis was named Cadet of the Year and Charlie Company was named best company in the battalion.