Some 38 members of the Escambia County High School Junior ROTC program went through the rigors of a formal inspection Tuesday as part of an annual review. NJROTC Area Manager Merlin Ladner witnessed the execution of drills from each member of the group from freshman to senior grades.

“It’s a pleasure to be on campus and meet these youth,” Ladner said. “Our purpose is to inspect the cadets and the unit instructors as well as meet with administration to make sure we are being good partners for the opportunity of this program for cadets.”

Also during Tuesday’s drills and inspection, Billy Gates, an officer with the Atmore VFW group, presented commendation awards of honor to two outstanding cadets with the ECHS unit.

Aaron J. Miller and L’Andre Brown were honored and recognized for their outstanding achievement and exceptional leadership abilities. The ECHS unit operates under the direction of Master Chief Harvey Heatley and John Spaulding. The unit currently has 43 members.