Members of our unit had the honor and privilege of presenting the family of John L. Patton with an American flag for his service to our country. Mr. Patton, a 101-year-old Navy veteran, passed away on October 19, 2024. He left behind a shining legacy of service, surviving some of the most momentous battles in the Pacific Theater during WWII. These battles included the Battle of Midway, where he was stationed aboard the flight deck of the USS Enterprise while Kamikaze pilots were coming so close that he could see their faces as they narrowly missed his ship. He also fought in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Mr. Patton earned six bronze stars for outstanding bravery by the time he reached 20 years of age.

Last year, Patton celebrated his 100^th birthday on March 23, 2023. He was honored by the St. Johns County Commissioners and during the celebration, Patton addressed several Nease NJROTC cadets. The interaction was impactful for the cadets as well as Patton. He said meeting the Nease cadets gave him hope our country was still turning out future leaders.

On November 15, 2024, Patton’s family and friends organized a celebration of his life. The gathering was held at Mission BBQ, an establishment known for generosity to our nation’s military as well as first responders. Over 75 friends and family members honored Patton’s life with a wonderful meal.

In a full circle moment, our cadets performed a flag presentation ceremony. This is a ceremonial folding of the American flag and presenting it to the next of kin. Patton’s eldest son, Rex Patton, was moved to tears as he received the flag in his father’s honor. Participating cadets also felt the magnitude of the moment, and were honored to have been invited.

Thank you to Rex Patton, Ron Patton, their families, and Larry Ward for including our unit in this extraordinary celebration. Thank you, Mr. Patton, for your bravery and service to our country. It is an example to future generations.

The Patton family and friends have committed to a $1,000 scholarship to be given to a deserving Nease cadet annually in honor of Mr. Patton.

On November 11th, many of our cadets had the honor of marching in the Palatka Veterans Day Parade, paying tribute to the brave men and women who have served our country. It was a memorable day, and our cadets displayed exceptional pride and dedication, representing our unit with distinction.

Our Orienteering Team competed on November 16th at the Goldhead Branch Meet. Our team placed FIRST OVERALL! Here are our full results list:

TEAM AWARDS

Meet Overall: 1st Place

Green/Brown Course: 2nd Place

Orange Course: 1st Place

Yellow Course: 2nd Place

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Green Course:   4th Place ~ Cadet Spore

Brown Course:   3rd Place ~ Cadet Newman, E.

Orange Course: 2nd Place ~ Cadet Johns

                           6th Place ~ Cadet Gourd

Yellow Course:  2nd Place ~ Cadet Shaw

                           5th Place ~ Cadet Nordlander

Our team will compete in Area 10 Regionals at Elinor Klapp-Phipps State Park on December 14th. Good Luck!

Our Brain Brawl Teams were busy in November! They competed on November 9th at Terry Parker, and on November 23rd at Bishop Kenny. The team did not perform as well as they wanted at Terry Parker and worked hard to show improvement in time for Bishop Kenny. Here is a full report of their performance!

TERRY PARKER

Nease 1: 6th Place

Nease 2: 9th Place

BISHOP KENNY

Nease 1: FIRST PLACE

Nease 2: 4th Place

Congratulations to both teams!

We're thrilled to see the new benches installed outside the ROTC Room! These benches, a highly requested addition from both our instructors and students, provide a much-needed space to relax outdoors. Thanks to the funds raised through our fundraising efforts, we were able to make this wishlist item a reality. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their time during a fundraiser or purchased items to support our efforts. Your generosity has truly made this possible!