Awards Night Banquet

[mike_beck]

Last night was really nice, it was the AFJROTC IL-761 29th Annual Awards Night Banquet and Dining Out. Basically everyone in jrotc at Lockport wears their dress uniform for dinner and awards presentation at the Louis Joliet Renaissance Center. Its based off of military custom and tradition, when you walk in there's a receiving line - all the executive staff cadets shake hands with all cadets and guests who enter the mess, and when they walk in there's a sabre arch. It is a really uniquely military tradition, and i think its really interesting. This year I went early to help get people ready, shinning shoes with Paige, getting leather die on my pants.. I think I'll get some on the other leg so it'll look like those expensive designer jeans.. maybe not, okay.. When you walk in theres a head table facing the audience, and our instructors and distinguished guests sit there. to their left is the staff table, and to their right is the Senior class table. While it is a military function, ANB is a lot of fun, there are rules of the mess, and if you violate a rule, you can be punished. So cadets always try to report rule-breaking to the vice president and president of the mess. Lauren was happy because she got to report Kevin Kelly for being late.. always fun. At the end of the night, the cadets with the most stripes get a special punishment, kim-chi..i dunno how to spell it but its like a korean cabbage with other vegetables and spices, aged in a jar buried underground for a while, it has a really strong scent if you arnt used to it.. and most high school students can't stand it... i think its good personally.. But anyways back to dinner, it was pretty good, I sat near Lauren and Sara and Liz and Paige and Casey, so it was pretty cool.. once again surrounded by female cadets, but thats how I roll.. Awards were pretty neat:

*National Organizational Awards*
Lauren Zemaitis - Air Force Association Award
Sara Garner - American Legion AFJROTC Scholastic Award
Greg Reifke - American Legion AFJROTC General Military Excellence Award
Nicole LaJoie - Daughters of the American Revolution Award
Michael Beck - American Veterans (AMVETS) Award
Zoe Mitronais - American Veterans (AMVETS) Award
Nina Krankvitch - Order of Daedalians Award
Nicole Schutter - Reserve Officers Association Award
John Manning - Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) Medal
Corrie Everson - Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) Medal
Mohammad Ali - Military Officers Associations of America
Jon Steinbach - VFW Award
Dorathy Roczkowski - VFW Award
Kelsey Paulsen - National Sojourners Award
Robert Chlum - Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Award
Angel Ochoa - Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction Award
Eric Lincoln - Military Order of the Purple Heart
John Gnilka - Air Force Sergeants Asociation Certificate of Achievement
Jesse Coleman - Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated Award
Maggie Cavanaugh - Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated Award
Nicolette Kagianas - Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Award

*Local Awards*
Lauren Zemaitis - AFJROTC Distinguished Cadet Award
Paige Vandinther - AFJROTC Outstanding ASI Cadet
Joseph Gnilka - AFJROTC Outstanding ASII Cadet
Jennie Capazano - AFJROTC Outstanding ASIII Cadet
Nicholas Hannah - AFJROTC Outstanding ASIV Cadet
Kevin Spiller - AFJROTC Leadership Award
Dorathy Roczkowski - AFJROTC Leadership Award
Patrick Finnigan - AFJROTC Leadership Award
Elyse Gnilka - AFJROTC Leadership Award
Anthony Betista - AFJROTC Leadership Award
Thomas McGuire - AFJROTC Leadership Award
Jennifer Paulsen - AFJROTC Superior Performance Award
Laura Benda - AFJROTC Superior Performance Award
Amy Bolinski - AFJROTC Superior Performance Award
Christina Morino - AFJROTC Superior Performance Award
Thomas Spellman - AFJROTC Superior Performance Award
Daniel Lutz - AFJROTC Achievement Award
David Pierson - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Samantha Jagust - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Cassandra Kernbauer - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Kyle Hofmann - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Keith Hofmann - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Antonio Miranda - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Cassandra Metz - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Colin Gort - AFJROTC Achievement Award
DeMarcus Nehmelman - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Jesse Coleman - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Jeff Shimmons - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Marie Bryniarski - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Isabel DeLeTorre - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Katie Barker - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Eric Geyer - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Jessica Mueller - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Crystal Pope - AFJROTC Achievement Award
Kevin McNamara - AFJROTC Achievement Award

Foxtrot Flight - Outstanding Flight
Sara Garner was named the next Kitty Hawk Air Society Commander

So thats a really long list of awards, but I figured people would want to get a chance to see that, maybe not but oh well...

So I was really surprised and happy to receive the AMVETS Award, I talked with the presenter, Commander Donna Fournier, and it turns out her father designed the medal, she was really nice and gave Zoe and me an extra set. I was really happy that a lot of people in my opinion deserved recognition earned awards.

I think this should be a really exciting weekend, with ANB and Prom coming up.. It will be a great night I hope..
well thats about all for now