[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 69 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            NAVY JUNIOR ROTC

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 9, 2003

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise with pride today to recognize an 
outstanding Navy Junior ROTC from Corpus Christi, Texas, in my 
congressional district.
  The Flour Bluff High School's Navy Junior ROTC is easily the very 
best in the country, having won the national title among all Navy 
Junior ROTC programs in the country for the past seven years. So they 
are used to being known as the ``best of the best.''
  This week, they made their domination of Junior ROTC competitions 
complete by winning competitions against units from every branch of the 
service. For the first time, both the armed and unarmed drill teams 
from Flour Bluff won the all-service competition against teams from all 
other military branches.
  The 33 students from the Coastal Bend of Texas who won the 
competition of 4,000 students on 155 teams were simply spectacular at 
the All Service Grand National Championship competition in Daytona 
Beach, Fla.
  Both young women and men have competed for the championship--and both 
have won. The young women of Junior ROTC won the national title in 
2000. The following year, the young men took the championship. But this 
year, they accomplished a new goal by both taking home the 
championship.
  They are judged on drills, precision marching, personal appearance 
and their knowledge regarding current events. While these are 
exceptional young people who are outstanding young leaders, they have a 
visionary example of leadership in their unit Commander, Armando Solis.
  Commander Solis has nurtured these teenagers through seven 
consecutive titles for the Flour Bluff High School Navy Junior ROTC. It 
is largely through his dedicated guidance that Flour Bluff's Navy 
Junior ROTC has been extremely successful in their national 
competitions.
  I am particularly proud of these young people under Commander Solis' 
guidance. ROTC is a feeder program for tomorrow's officer corps, and 
there are a number of people who are serving us in uniform today who 
came through this particular program, and from Junior ROTC programs 
across the nation.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in commending the Flour Bluff 
High School's Navy Junior ROTC for their excellence.

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