Submitted photo
A combined Military Ball from Belen High School NJROTC and Los Lunas High School AJROTC took place on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Embassy Suites in Albuquerque.
There will always be high school football rivalries, but a joined military builds commonship and brings guests closer together through celebration and traditional military ceremonies — with both programs understanding the importance of service to their country and community.
The mission of JROTC programs throughout the nation remain the same: “To motivate young people to become better citizens.” Throughout the JROTC program, cadets experience opportunities to lead and mentor other cadets, a major component of the JROTC leadership and citizenship program, thus stressing the importance of teamwork, leadership and discipline.
Belen’s NJROTC presented the Colors, and Los Lunas AJROTC performed the Saber Arch.
Being a formal event, male cadets wore their Class A uniforms, with the females in formal gowns. Cadets complete a yearly etiquette course prior to the event, where they learn proper protocol — from dinner etiquette to receiving-line etiquette.
After dinner, Aubrey Tucker, Belen Consolidated Board of Education president, delivered the address to the cadets. The “Missing Man” table, also known as a fallen comrade table, was set up displaying covers (hats) from every branch of the military — signifying fallen, missing, or imprisoned military service members. A traditional grog-bowl ceremony took place as well as a cake-cutting ceremony. The evening ended with a dance.
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