Durango Air Force JROTC marches off with championship

Dick Benoit

Thursday, April 18, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.

Durango High School's Air Force Junior ROTC unit marched off with the overall trophy, and Palo Verde High School freshman Dominique Lee became that school's first-ever Air Force JROTC winner during the Clark County School District's JROTC Drill and Color Guard Championships at Cashman Center Thursday.

Durango piled up points to win the overall by taking first place in personnel inspection for unarmed drill, first in regular drill color guard and the sweepstakes color guard competition.

Durango Cadet Miguel Castro also split first place as unarmed drill team captain in a tie with Gladhes Junio of Clark High School Navy JROTC.

Clark took overall second place honors, with Rancho High School placing third out of the 12 schools competing.

Clark Cadet Paul John Gorre won the armed drill team captain competition, while Cadet Ernie Villegas of Western High School's Air Force ROTC walked off with the color guard team captain trophy. Western's Team One unit also took home first place honors in personnel inspection color guard category, while Clark passed personnel inspection with flying colors in armed drill.

Clark also placed first in regular drill unarmed, with Rancho's Air Force JROTC showing the best precision for first place in regular armed drill.

Expedition, or free style, drill first place trophies went to Clark's unarmed unit and Eldorado's Navy JROTC armed unit

Culminating the day-long exhibition of precision and discipline, Cadet Steven Fair of Valley High School's Army JROTC put on a dizzying display of rifle-handling skill, earning him first place honors in the twirl off competition.

In brief

The new soldiers received instruction in drill and ceremony, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military justice system, fitness and basic first aid.

During the six weeks of training, Jones and Miller studied the Air Force mission, customs, drill and ceremony and received physical training and special training in human relations earning credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force.