Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, January 04, 2010

Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)

JROTC students at Bryan Station High School add pins and other uniform accessories to denote accomplishments and promotions.

Two of Fayette County’s high schools -- Bryan Station and Henry Clay -- offer JROTC programs. Though they represent different branches of the military, they share a common purpose: helping students develop leadership skills, confidence and self-discipline.

For Adonis Duplessis, who moved to Lexington from Atlanta, joining JROTC in his freshman year was a surefire way to fit in.

“Being at a new school, it helped me open up to people,” said the Bryan Station High 10^th grader, who has several relatives in the military and a cousin in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

Adonis, who is head of the military ball committee and saber team commander, likes the mental and physical discipline of the program. But mostly he’s glad for the camaraderie.

“We’ve all built a close-knit relationship with each other,” he said. “I feel like I’ve made a few lifelong friends in here.”

ROTC is a college-based, officer commissioning program that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning and professional ethics; it’s designed for college students who plan to enlist in the armed forces. JROTC is the high school model, which is offered as an elective course.

Col. Greg Coker and Chief James May, the JROTC instructors at Bryan Station, find satisfaction in watching students like Adonis mature.

“It’s kind of like a family,” said Coker, who retired after 30 years in the U.S. Air Force.

May concentrates on drill, ceremony and leadership, while Coker focuses on physical training and academics – specifically, aerospace science.

The curriculum also covers the exploration of space, the science of flight, geography, world history and survival training. Advanced courses for fourth-year students – similar to an independent study – focus on specifics like pilot training.

“It has an Air Force flavor, but what we’re really trying to do is teach them to be leaders – to step out front and be a good citizen,” said Coker, whose program has about 130 students.

Haley Gove, a junior who plans to enlist in the service, joined JROTC last year after seeing how her friends blossomed and gained self-confidence. Now she’s among the program’s leaders.

“I had fear of staring people in the eye and was a nervous person. … Just wearing the uniform gives me a sense of ‘I know who I am, and I know what I’m doing with my life,’” said Haley, who is now part of the color guard, drill team, recruiting team, and rifle and saber team.

Coker estimated 5 to 10 percent of students who finish JROTC will join the military. Instructors might try to match them with the right branch of service, but they don’t act as recruiters.

“We want to make sure they understand exactly what they’re getting into,” he said.

Coker, who is in his third year at Bryan Station, can certainly speak to the realities of a military career. During his three decades of active duty, he was stationed at about 20 bases and served in operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

A Knoxville native and a civil engineer, he taught aerospace studies in the ROTC program at the University of Alabama for three years before moving to Kentucky.

These days, Coker simply tries to help guide and counsel youngsters – whether they are headed for college, a civilian job or the military.

“I want them to be a productive citizen and know what they want to do when they leave high school,” he said. “We help them set goals and try to realize they need to be involved in their future and need to start making decisions now.”