‘Producing winners’ focus of JROTC

“We produce winners,” retired Col. Milton Shipman told those at the Coffee with a Veteran program. “That is just the bottom line.”

An Enterprise native, Shipman is a retired Army colonel who currently serves as the Senior JROTC Instructor at Carroll High School in Ozark. He was the keynote speaker at the Coffee with a Veteran program March 20.

Coffee with a Veteran is a four month old veteran-centered breakfast program held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m., sponsored by Enterprise State Community College.

The focus of the new program, which alternates monthly between the Enterprise and Ozark college campuses, is “serving those who serve and have served,” is the way Enterprise State Community College President Matt Rodgers puts it.

“We are here to serve and at the end of the day that it’s what is all about,” Rodgers said about the program. “We have so many programs for our veterans and their families and it’s our job to communicate what those programs are.”

ESCC has been named a military friendly institution for the past five years, said ESCC Veteran’s Affairs and Student Financial Aide Coordinator Stephen Adcock, adding that 21 percent of the student body is military or military family-member related.

As a retired military officer who is now training the next generation, Shipman said he welcomes the opportunity to coordinate with the community college. “We want to make sure that our students have the opportunity to go to college,” he said before outlining what he believes makes the JROTC cadet an ideal student.

“JROTC is designed to teach high school students the value of citizenship, leadership, service to the community and personal responsibilities,” Shipman said. “When we can motivate young people to be better citizens, we create a better environment. That is just the bottom line.”

Shipman assumed command of the CHS JROTC program in January 2018. “From that date to this date, our cadets have donated 4,500 hours of community service,” he said. “Community service allows our children the opportunity to get out and interact with other civic organizations and become more involved with city government.

“The community gets behind our young ladies and young men in uniform,” Shipman said. “We try to make sure the cadets understand how important it is to give back to that community.”

Shipman said some students shy away from JROTC because they think it is a commitment to join the military. “That is not true,” he stressed.

“(Colleges) love our JROTC students because they have less problem with them,” Shipman said. “Our kids go there with a positive attitude, committed to doing their best.

“JROTC is a shot in the arm to a community because what it does is it brings everyone together with a thing called ‘pride,’” Shipman said. “Leadership starts at the top and that’s why I make sure every day I give 150 percent.

“Dealing with the hard core values of life,” and “how to persevere,” are among the attributes that Shipman said he strives to instill in the JROTC cadets.

Shipman had high praise for ESCC’s veteran-centered focus. “Our veterans are coming back beat up,” he said. “But by you providing the cross level training programs, let’s put our veterans back to work.”