Company Attention. The JROTC program welcomed their new Army Instructor, First Sergeant, Brandon Butler who moved to Texas from Kentucky to be in the JROTC program at Lake Ridge.

Butler was in JROTC his senior year in high school and then served 20+ years in the military. He decided to join the program at Lake Ridge not only because his son attends school here, but because he enjoys working with youth as he used to be an athletic trainer. First Sergeant, Brandon Butler says that his goal is to help young people succeed in life. 

“My main goal is to see young men and women set goals and reach them. I teach them tools within JROTC to help them become better people, because I love dealing and working with youth. What better way to help them than through JROTC? I am giving them knowledge from what I’ve learned in my years in the military,” says Butler.

Many students have been in the JROTC program since their freshman or sophomore year of high school and they have shaped relationships throughout the year. Something that is taught in JROTC is that the key to success is teamwork. Working together as a team can build strong and healthy relationships. Senior and Cadet Command Sergeant Major, Dayana Quijano, says that she does wish to construct a relationship with First Sergeant Butler. 

“I do plan on building more of a relationship with the new first sergeant. I like him and I feel like he is trying to help and expand our opportunities in going into college, army, or national guard. He’s even set up dates for us to bond together, so I do feel like all of us in general will create some type of bond and relationship with him,” says Quijano. 

The JROTC program has what is called special teams which have armed and unarmed drill, color guard, and physical training teams. Many team members believe being supportive of others and encouragement is very important. Junior and Cadet Sergeant Major, William Hancock says that he hopes for support from First Sergeant Butler. 

“I’m the commander for armed drill and I’m really trying and working  to get my team to nationals. If he’s willing to back us up by pushing everyone to their limits and doing the best we can, then that would be great,” says Hancock.

In the JROTC program many students are looking forward to organizational improvements. Improvements can be big or small, but it’s key to be able to recognize those improvements. Sophomore and Sergeant First Class, Logan Barta is hoping for improvement to the program from first sergeant Butler. 

“I think First Sergeant Butler is going to provide more structure and discipline to the program. I hope that he can help improve the program by keeping us more organized with schedules and events because I think that’s something that we all have to work on,” says Barta.