Daviess County High School’s Navy JROTC has once again earned the Navy’s Distinguished Unit Award, marking the 10th consecutive year the program has received the top honor.
The unit also earned the distinction “with Academic Honors” for the fourth straight year, a designation that highlights the cadets’ classroom success. The recognition places DCHS among the top 30% of Navy JROTC programs nationwide and allows the school to nominate up to three students each to the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and U.S. Air Force Academy.
Senior Naval Science Instructor Tyler Goad said the recognition reflects years of consistent effort from students.
“This is the 10th year in a row, and that makes it a little more special for us,” Goad said. “It’s showing that we’ve got a good, sustained effort going here. It’s tempting as an instructor to take credit for it, but it’s really the students that are putting in the work.”
Goad said the 50-member unit logged about 1,000 hours of community service last year, with several cadets individually contributing nearly 50 hours each.
“That’s a really good average for a small group,” Goad said. “That community service is a big part of what this program is all about. A lot of people think JROTC is a recruiting program, but it isn’t. It’s a citizenship development program. One of my mottos is that citizenship is not a spectator sport. You’ve got to go out there and do stuff in your community.”
Beyond community service, the DCHS unit also competes and performs in a variety of JROTC activities, including an air rifle team, two marching teams, a color guard, and an orienteering team. The color guard regularly supports school events such as football and basketball games in addition to community appearances.
Goad said the long-term impact of the program is watching cadets grow into responsible citizens while finding their path in life.
“That’s the fun part of it — seeing these students explore their community, figure out what they enjoy, and maybe tie that into their career exploration,” he said. “Even if they don’t go into the military, the discipline and self-discipline they learn here are tools they can carry with them for greater success.”
About a third of the program’s seniors typically enlist in the military or pursue ROTC scholarships, but Goad said the lessons go beyond military preparation.
“We’ve had a lot of ROTC scholarships recently, which are essentially full rides to college,” Goad said. “But no matter where they go, they’re taking with them the values of discipline, service, and responsibility, and that’s the real goal.”
