Future Soldiers Get Senate Inspection, Carper to Inspect and Review Junior ROTC Officers at Sussex Central High School

GEORGETOWN, DE – Retired Navy Captain and current US Senator Tom Carper will offer the nation’s thanks to and give an informal inspection of Delaware’s future military leaders this Thursday at Sussex Central High School. “Our soldiers in Afghanistan are living up to the legacy of courage set by the veterans who came before them. But the next generation of American military heroes could be right here, at Sussex Central High school,” said Carper, who was the mission commander of a P-3 aircraft in Southeast Asia during Vietnam and the Cold War. “They will be the future leaders in the fight to protect our nation’s freedom.” The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) was created at Sussex Central in 1995 and is known as “The Golden Knights.” They were honored by the US Army Command as an “Honor Unit With Distinction” during both of their official inspections by the Armed Forces. This is the highest recognition that can be awarded, placing them above at least 96% of JROTC units in the nation. In only six years, the “Golden Knights” sent two cadets to the US Military Academy at West Point; eight soldiers into the Army or Marine Corps; four to the Delaware Army National Guard; and six on full scholarships to the University of Delaware, Widener University and Virginia Tech. “The ROTC combines education with honor. These ROTC students will graduate Sussex Central with more than a diploma – they will have a greater sense of dignity and respect,” said Carper, who for eight years was Commander in Chief of the Delaware National Guard and attended Ohio State University on an ROTC scholarship. “They seek to represent their nation with pride.” WHO: Future Soldiers, Senator Carper WHAT: Discuss the situation in Afghanistan, perform Senate inspection WHERE: Sussex Central High School, 301 W. Market Street, Georgetown, DE WHEN: 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm, Thursday, January 3