Leavenworth High School JROTC Alumni Dinner CADETS 1896 - 1915 1908: “Early on the morning of the 22d of April , in a heavy rain, the High School Cadets started on their annual hike.

Leavenworth High SchoolJROTC

Alumni DinnerJanuary 14th 2017

CENTENNIAL1917 – 2017

LEAVENWORTH TIMES, DECEMBER 8, 1896

ORIGINAL ORDERS, JANUARY 1917

LEAVENWORTH CADETS 1896 - 1915

A precursor to the corps of cadets were

the Barry Cadets, a group of choir boys

from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church who

were inspired to form a military

organization after witnessing a military

tournament in Lawrence in 1875.

Cadets Herman and Howard Langworthy, 1899

The Leavenworth

Corps of Cadets in

1899, 3 years after

their founding

The Cadets in 1904


1908: “Early on the morning

of the 22d of April , in a heavy

rain, the High School Cadets

started on their annual hike.

The ill-fated town of McLouth

was their destination…The

distance of 20-odd miles was

made in 12 hours.”

Rifle drills in 1909

In 1912 a company of Girl

Cadets was organized. The

yearbook stated that the girls

company “supplies a long felt

need, and there can be no

doubt but that it has come to

stay.” Unfortunately, it this

unique organization only

lasted two years.


The tradition of battalion

sponsors took hold in 1920. The

girls had to have a high standing

in school. They were nominated

by the boys of ROTC and voted

on by the girls of the school.

1921 Battalion Sponsors

1922 Cadet Hop

In 1907 the corps of cadets began hosting dances at the

high school, known as Cadet Hops. These dances soon

evolved into the annual military ball.


Cadet Officers 1925

In 1929 the cadets finally

earned the rating of Honor

Unit, one of five schools to

do so in the Seventh Corps

five-state area

Buglers had been

with the corps since

at least 1905, and a

full-fledged band—the precursor to the

drum and bugle

corps—appeared for

the first time in 1926.

1928 Band

A rifle team was

firmly established in

1923 when they were

given a dedicated

indoor firing range.

1924 Rifle Team


Leavenworth ROTC began the

thirties with 226 cadets, and

grew to over 275 during the

1936-37 school year. Because

of this, the corps was

reorganized into a regiment

with two battalions.

The 1938 yearbook paints a different mission of ROTC from its

wartime preparedness origins:

Contrary to the general belief that the ROTC is a course of military

instruction conceived for war preparation only, the preeminent

purpose is to train the cadets to be good citizens and leaders in later

life. The general object of ROTC is to “...inculcate in the students

habits of precision, orderliness, courtesy, correctness of posture and

deportment, leadership, and respect for and loyalty to constituted

authority…”

Members of A Company 1933

Photo from 1934 yearbook cover


Top: The Battalion pauses for

“Taps” during the 1939 Armistice

Parade

Right: D Company on the march

during the parade

Cadet Captain William Walz

inspects D Company in 1940

Sponsors 1942


In the post-war years the

cadet population fell below

200 for the first time since

1926, and in 1950 the corps

was reorganized into a

battalion. In 1952 the

community reaffirmed the

importance of ROTC at

Leavenworth by erecting a

9,800 sq. ft. building

exclusively for the cadets’

use—complete with a five-

point firing range. Once

again ROTC cadets would

need to use their skills

following graduation—this

time in Korea.

Queen’s Manual Drill Team 1952

The battalion in 1953

Color Guard 1954

The Field House was the home of the JROTC from 1920

until 1952, when the battalion moved to their new armory


President Truman

presents a shooting

award in 1958.

The Armory became the new home of JROTC in 1952

17 years before females were

officially allowed to join, the

JROTC established a girls’ rifle

team in 1958

C Company 1958


The sixties brought some changes to

the corps of cadets. The Cadet

Rangers, the precursor to today’s

Raider team, was established in

1961. Enrollment in the program

grew, reaching nearly 400 cadets in the

1964-65 school year. This increase

led to another reorganization as the

corps became a brigade with two

battalions of three companies

each. The late sixties also began the

trend of national dominance by the

rifle team, as in 1967 they won the

first of 25 national shooting titles.

Rangers 1961

Inspection 1963

Miss America Parade 1966

Staff and Sponsors 1963


Veterans Day Parade 1966

Clockwise from top

left: Honor Guard

performs at St. Joseph

1969; Saber Guard

arch during

Homecoming 1969;

Color Guard during

1972 Veterans Day

Parade; Uniform

Fitting 1974


In 1976, the program became

an elective and was opened to

female enrollment. Many

ROTC alumni and community

members decried the end of

mandatory enrollment for

sophomore boys, claiming that

the program would cease to

exist without this

requirement. This prediction

turned out to be false, as the

program flourished under the

new guidelines. Female

enrollment nearly equaled the

male losses, and females quickly

occupied leadership

positions. In three years, the

first female Brigade

Commander was named.

Cadets at Fort Leonard

Wood Summer Camp 1975

Sandy Lassetter is

among 10 female

cadets in the program

in 1975. This number

would grow to 67 the

next year

Jim Green appears

before the school

board during 1975

hearings on making

JROTC an elective

Heidi Haight is named

JROTC Brigade Commander

in 1979, the first female to

hold this position


The Cadet Chorus was added to the

program in 1982

The Rifle Team celebrates one of their

many National Championships in 1986-87

1989 Sponsors sing National Anthem

at Awards NightHonor Guard without weapons 1996

1997 Rangers

LEAVENWORTH CADETS 2000-2009

Rangers surprise the quiet crowd during the 2000 ROTC

Assembly by riding around and honking their horns

Cadets Model different kind of fatigues during the

Veteran’s day parade in 2004

2004 Junior Guard Cadets posting the colors during

the annual Junior Guard meet, which began in 2000

The new century included a

mix of old and new. The

past was honored with the

installation of a Hall of

Fame and the 100th Military

Ball, while new events and

facilities were added to an

already stellar program.

Military Hall of Fame induction ceremony 2007

Yellow Legs of Cavalry perform

during the 2001 assembly

LEAVENWORTH CADETS 2000-2009

Colors being presented at a Kansas City

Royals game in 2009

Organization

Day 2009

Jacob Gardner cuts the cake at the 100th Annual

Military Ball in 2009

2008 was the

first year of the

LHS Car Show

The LHS Obstacle Course was installed in 2007


In 2015, the cadets helped Leavenworth High School celebrate their

150th anniversary, paying the school back for the support it has given

to the program for more than a century.

Cadets form the number ‘150’ before marching across the field through the band

The Cannon Crew

first appeared at

home football

games in 2010

Battalion Staff

sprints to

Outhouse

Race victory

during 2015

Buffalo Bill

Days

E Co 2013

Raiders attack the PTT event at nationals 2016


The drill teams earned seven national drill

trophies since 2010. In 2016 the Cavalry

Angels placed second in Exhibition Drill and

earned top honors in Unarmed Dual

Exhibition and Individual Drill Down during

the Army National Drill Competition.

Carissa Cunningham

receives the 2nd place

trophy for unarmed

exhibition drill

Scenes from the 2016

Military Appreciation

Pre-Game Ceremonies

The rifle team shooting at the state meet in 2015. The Sporter Class team

qualified for nationals in 2016, the first time for an LHS team since 1998

Raider teams now regularly place in

the top 5 in various events at Raider

Nationals. Here is the female team

in 2016.

Cadets rappel off the

practice field retaining

wall in the Spring and Fall

2013 Veterans Day Parade

LHS JROTC on Delaware St

Th

e C

orp

s o

f

Cad

ets

in 1

908

and

2016

The Junior ROTC Cadet Creed

I am an Army Junior ROTC Cadet.

I will always conduct myself to bring

credit to my family, country, school and

the Corps of Cadets.

I am loyal and patriotic. I am the future

of the United States of America.

I do not lie, cheat or steal and will

always be accountable for my actions

and deeds.

I will always practice good citizenship

and patriotism.

I will work hard to improve my mind and

strengthen my body.

I will seek the mantle of leadership

and stand prepared to uphold the

Constitution and the American way of

life.

May God grant me the strength to

always live by this creed.

Leavenworth High School JROTC Alumni Dinner CADETS 1896 - 1915 1908: “Early on the morning of the 22d of April , in a heavy rain, the High School Cadets started on their annual hike.

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