Inaugural Blue Hen JROTC Drill Competition with over 200 high school participants this Saturday at the Delaware Air National Guard

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NEW CASTLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, DEL. --  On Saturday, January 18, the Delaware Air National Guard will provide the venue for the inaugural Blue Hen Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Drill Competition for high school teams hosted by the Air Force ROTC 128th Cadet Wing, University of Delaware.

Over 200 participants from nine high school teams on the Delmarva Peninsula will compete, with eight teams from Delaware's New Castle and Kent Counties, and one team from Maryland.

The competition, which starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at about 2:00 p.m., will include U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy JROTC teams.

While not open to the public, over 300 people are expected to attend the event, to include parents who will cheer on their cadets in six competitions: inspection, unarmed regulation, armed regulation, unarmed exhibition, armed exhibition, and colors.

A Black Hawk helicopter from the Delaware Army Guard and a C-130H aircraft from the Delaware Air Guard, along with various other displays of military equipment, will be in a hangar for JROTC members to tour.

Air Force ROTC Cadet Dennis Wilcutts II, special projects officer for the 128th cadet wing, University of Delaware, planned the event.

"When I came up with the idea for this competition I was thinking of a way to get a bunch of high school students together and give them something to strive for," said Cadet Wilcutts. "This came after a AFROTC recruiting trip I went on to a JROTC unit. I was in the room with all their senior cadets and asked what they were doing after high school. Three quarters of the group did not know. This is why we have a college booth to strictly inform them on the application process and what college is like. That is also why there are many different military career fields there because even if it gives one of the over 200 cadets coming something to strive for we have done our job."

The event will be held at the Delaware Air National Guard, 2600 Spruance Drive, New Castle, DE 19720.

The Delaware ANG has 1,100 members, and continually deploys personnel and subordinate units around the globe. This release is in the public domain, and any part may be used as written.

Delaware Air National Guard: Celebrating our 68th year of Citizen-Airman service to our state and nation, 1946-2014.

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