Submitted by: Cadet First Lieutenant Lennon Spakousky
In any organization, it is pivotal to build a sense of comradery, this is especially true for military organizations such as JROTC. In the Warrior Battalion, the Dining-in creates Esprit de Corps through the event held once a year. This event is a celebration of tradition and change, but more, it serves to create bonds between cadets and their superiors all throughout the program.
The night began with a social hour, meaning that all attendees that evening convened before the event to socialize with one another. This is a great opportunity for cadets of different companies to mingle, as they usually never see each other. However, just as important are the guests, able to socialize with their local JROTC. This is especially true for Dr. Ramaglia, who was able to see how much her JROTC had already developed after a single school quarter.
The Warrior Battalion takes great pride in its history, one part of the night meant to honor this history was the creation of the Grog. Mixed by the cadet staff members, they add ingredients from each part of Wiesbaden’s history. Without the best of tastes, different aspects of Wiesbaden’s past get mixed into the Grog, an amusing tradition. This year’s Grog included Clouds, Mud, and coffee grounds among other things. Afterwards, the cadets passed it around and drank, taking part in the tradition.
This year’s particular Dining-in took place November 3rd, 2022 at Little Italy in Gen. Lucius D. Clay Kaserne military base, Wiesbaden Germany. 115 cadets were present, along with some honored guests, including Wiesbaden High School Principal, Dr. Ramaglia, and Wiesbaden Middle School Principal, Mrs. Tobias. Five of Wiesbaden’s cadets had the honor of participating in the color guard; the cadets included David Matz, Nathaniel Griffis, Cydnee Lassiter, Emily Wiggins, and Delaney Hodges. After the posting of the colors, Cadets Kayla Pham and Jacob Barnes sang the National Anthem.
Notably, as well, Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Casey Jacobs, and Lieutenant Colonel Jon Ring both gave a speech near the end of the night. Jacobs, the President of the Mess and Battalion Commander gave a brief well-chosen speech lasting around 2 minutes, proud of her cadets, Jacobs talked of all the achievements that the Warrior Battalion had already garnered in the single quarter of school the year. LT COL Ring, the Battalion’s SAI, gave a speech commending the truly wonderful seniors that had graduated from the battalion, gaining so much money in scholarships for their college endeavors. “Last year alone, our seniors made a combined 1.1 million dollars in scholarships and school costs just last year.
Finally, a show of comradery between them, each company competed to create the best skit, acting them out at the end of the night. All of the cadets had a great time, and it is our hope that these cadets will be closer together for the rest of the year, and hopefully longer.
Top Photo: Depicts the receiving line of the night. Consisting of (From left to right) Adjutant, and S1, cadet First Lieutenant Rylee Ashcraft, President of the Mess, Battalion Commander, Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Casey Jacobs; SAI, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Ring (retired), Cadet Sergeant Major John Dacus, and Wiesbaden High School principal Dr. Ramaglia.
