Pendleton HS Air Force JROTC

From 7 - 13 June, 11 cadets, 2 instructors, and 1 chaperone participated in AFJROTC's summer leadership camp at the Citadel known as South Carolina's Cadet Leadership Course. The 8 trainees and 3 cadre members prepped since April in drill & ceremonies, physical fitness, uniform regulations, time management, and customs & courtesies. All 8 trainees and 3 cadre members excelled during the week, to include many personal best times during the 1 mile run. At graduation on Saturday morning, 2 Pendleton High cadets were named Outstanding Basic Cadet in their squadron (about 70 cadets per squadron). Cadet Jaxon Capps and Cadet Michael Frady won those awards, as well as each being named one of the week's Distinguished Graduates.
This was our biggest CLC class in several years. The future of of Pendleton High's AFJROTC program is in good hands for years to come!
Special thanks to Jada Chastain for helping with everything this week at the Citadel!
CONGRATS TO NEW CADET 2ND LIEUTENANTS: JAXON CAPPS, MICHAEL FRADY, DAKOTA REVIS, ASPEN MATTHEWS, LILY BAILEY, YADIEL RODRIGUEZ, ASHLAND LIPPER, AND BRAYDEN FINLEY!!! THANKS TO OUR CADRE: EMMA CAPPS, BRI FAJARDO, AND ANNIKA DAVIS!

I'm proud to announce the AFJROTC cadets from Pendleton High were awarded the Distinguished Unit Award with Merit today. In order to qualify, you must receive an "Exceeds Standards" score on you unit assessment form HQ and average more than 18 hours per cadet in community service hours. They are one of 5 schools in SC to receive the award, and less than 150 across the nation received the distinction this year. This is the first time we received the award since 2012-2013 school year! We'd like to THANK them, as well as all of the parents, family members, and friends who support this unit!

Congrats to our Cadet of the Month for March! Your hard work and dedication is proving to be invaluable to our unit. Keep it up, we're proud of you!

This past Sunday Color Guard Cadets from Pendleton High AFJROTC presented the colors at Clemson Baseball's home game versus UNC. The Cadets performed with honor, precision, and perfection. They were praised by all and have been invited back to perform more presentations at Clemson sporting events in the future. So proud of our Color Guard!

Come join us on Tuesday April 28th, 2026 after our awards ceremony at Whataburger in Pendleton, SC. They are being very generous by hosting Pendleton High AFJROTC unit for a fundraising event. They will be donating a % of their sales that night made between 6 - 9 pm. So come out, enjoy the delicious burgers and wonderful customer service, and support your Cadets!

SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, April 28th at 6 pm will be our Annual Awards Ceremony at the PHS Auditorium (will probably last about 90 minutes). Come help us honor our cadets, the award winners, and our seniors!

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"Pendleton High School Cadets Earn Top Marks in Air Force Junior ROTC Assessment. The Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) program at Pendleton High School has earned the highest possible rating of “Exceeds Standards” following its Unit Assessment conducted on the March 23, 2026. Pendleton cadets have demonstrated exceptional performance and pride in achieving their unit’s goals reflecting the program’s commitment to excellence. Under the instructional guidance of Colonel (Retired) Craig Ramsey and Master Sergeant (Retired) Justin Carrano, the program impressed evaluators with its strong cadet leadership, active cadet participation, and selfless community involvement. The AFJROTC program at Pendleton continues to make a lasting impact on students and the surrounding community, fostering leadership, character, and a sense of purpose among its cadets."

Excerpt from Headquarters AFJROTC Region 3

JROTC Drone Teams Flying High!!!
Red Dawg 1 and Red Dawg 2 both brought home trophies from the Lexington High School drone tournament on March 14th. RD1 won the piloting & coding skills championship, while RD2 won the airmanship award. These cadets have continued to improve everyday, resulting in 4 total trophies in the last 2 events.
Now, we're waiting to see if we've earned an invitation to return to the All-Service JROTC Championships in May...

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