Written by: LTC (Ret) Michael DeBolt
On Saturday, March 11, Omaha Public Schools (OPS) held their 50th annual JROTC Military Ball. The keynote speaker for the event was Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, William J. Gainey a newly created position established to advise the Chairman on matters of professional development of enlisted personnel for a joint environment. Sergeant Major Gainey was the first person selected to serve in this position beginning October 1, 2005.
SEAC1 Gainey spoke about ethos, pathos and logos the modes of persuasion. In short, these three words refer to three main methods that a person can use to speak or write persuasively. He told stories about how the modes of persuasion are important because a leader who knows how to effectively use them will have a significant advantage over someone who doesn’t.
Put simply, ethos refers to persuasion based on the credibility or authority of the speaker, pathos refers to persuasion based on emotion, and logos refers to persuasion based on logic or reason. He had the audience of 350 laughing with humorous stories of his childhood and military career of 37 years.
The JROTC Military Ball is an annual event that celebrates the accomplishments of high school cadets who participate in the JROTC program. It provides them with an opportunity to showcase their military training, leadership skills, and discipline. A Brigade and Deputy Commander is selected and presented the rank of Cadet/Colonel. With this year being the 50th year, the 60 graduating seniors received a Commemoration Coin from the SEAC.
OPS started their Military Science program in 1893. The school district has grown to nine high schools with over 900 cadets serving 119 languages and 54,000 students K-12.
