In front of more than 100 friends, family, and Mission Bay High School staff and supporters, first-year Coast Guard JROTC Company 24-01 assembled for their first end-of-year ceremony on May 14. Seven months earlier, the small unit of 31 cadets was commissioned in the school auditorium under the watch of the Coast Guard District Eleven Admiral Andrew Sugimoto.
On Tuesday evening, Senior Maritime Science Instructor and retired Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander John Bannon and Principal Dr. Eric Brown led the 31 cadets made up of all grades in a ceremony that highlighted how far they have come in one year. The Coast Guard JROTC unit is the only one in San Diego and the only one west of Chicago. For the only West Coast Coast Guard JROTC, it is fitting to be at Mission Bay and Pacific Beach, now part of the many storied accomplishments of MBHS over the past 70 years.
In the one-hour ceremony that marked the changing of commanding officers, Lieutenant Junior Grade Madison Walker took the helm as unit commanding officer for the next school year. LTJG Walker, a sophomore, relieved senior, and first-year commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Lole Ulutu. The first ceremony for the “Plankowner” team highlighted two Pacific Beach residents as outgoing and incoming commanding officers.
During the ceremony, cadets were recognized for their many accomplishments, which included uniform award ribbons for such items as completion of year one Maritime Science curriculum, community service, honor roll, unit service, uniform inspections, fitness, drill, and color guard duties.
Pacific Beach resident and sophomore Kaelyn Walters was recognized as the top overall cadet, for her highest GPA and fitness score. Cadet Ensign Walters received gift recognition from Navy Federal Credit Union, Coast Guard City San Diego, Coast Guard Recruiting Office San Diego, and the prestigious inaugural award nameplate on the “WWII Ms. Gena Fischle Top Cadet” wall plaque. The award was named after World War II Coast Guard veteran and longtime San Diego resident, Gena Fischle, who served as a volunteer Coast Guard SPAR (Semper Paratus Always Ready) and died at age 100 this year.
JROTC Instructor Bannon was also recognized with a $500 school donation from the North Island Credit Union for a unique project proposal for his 25 returning cadets. The donation will fund a spool of a 5/8-inch manilla line. The project will entail cadets splicing and assembling each of their 50-foot rescue heaving lines.
“Working with natural line has always been a staple of a mariner – whether military or local fisherman,” Bannon said. “Giving the cadets the opportunity connects us to our past, our roots as a Navy town. Further, it’s just cool to splice, to do nautical fancy work weaving using line. It’s a true mark of a sailor. One I learned during my days at sea in Hawaii on Coast Guard buoytenders in the late 1990s. And one challenge that our MBHS JROTC ‘rescue warriors’ are up for.”
Mission Bay looks forward to year two of its JROTC. Cadet growth is expected to double to close to 60 cadets as more interested incoming Pacific Beach Middle School students see the fun in fitness, camaraderie, and leadership in joining Coast Guard Mission Bay High School JROTC.
