June 29, 2004 – Ninety cadets from the Virgin Islands participated in Islands Venture 2004 Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Islands Venture. It was held June 14-24 at the Camp Santiago training site near Salinas, Puerto Rico.
This year’s camp involved 155 cadets from eight ROTC programs in Puerto Rico and three in the Virgin Islands (located at Charlotte Amalie High School, Central High School, and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School).
All cadets successfully completed the camp’s requirements, which included the challenging Tower Rappel. Twenty-two cadets from the Virgin Islands were among the twenty-six honored at graduation ceremony on June 24 for their outstanding performance and leadership potential.
The honors bestowed on the cadets included:
Honor Graduate Awards, for the top six overall cadets at camp, included Bernell Lanclos from CAHS, and Tanya Mirtil and Regina Watson from IEKHS.
Company Leadership Awards, for the top cadet in each of the two cadet companies, went to Grissette LaPlace from CAHS and Shana Benjamin from IEKHS.
Platoon Leadership Awards, for the top cadet in each of the six cadet platoons, included JeVon James from CAHS, Emily Clarke from CHS, and Shaharlee Blake, Kevin Charles, and Shalia Moolenaar from IEKHS.
Commandant’s List, consisting of the next 12 cadets finishing in the top 20 percent of all cadets at camp, included Natasha Arnold, JoVan Descartes, Leale Jackson, Kristen Knight, and Daria Scott from CAHS, Danielle Christian and Andres Sanes from CHS, and Dinia Cadette, Edward Polanco, Colleen Williams, and Timothy Williams from IEKHS.
Also recognized for contributions to the camp were two IEKHS alumni, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Kenneth Francis, Jr. and U.S. Military Academy Cadet Lt. Natasha Rabsatt. They served as company executive officers.
According to a press release, this camp was sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Sixth Brigade, Eastern Region with the support of the Puerto Rican and V. I. National Guards. The camp’s objective was to continue the JROTC mission (motivating young people to be better citizens) by exposing selected cadets to life in a military setting for the practical application of good citizenship and leadership techniques.
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