FUHS JROTC celebrates USMC birthday during COVID-19

FALLBROOK – The founding of the United States Marine Corps is honored through a unique celebration every year on Nov. 10. This year marked the USMC's 245th birthday.

The annual tradition of commemorating the founding of the USMC is honored the world over and builds community pride, leadership, and esprit de corps. Fallbrook Union High School Marine Corps JROTC Cadets historically celebrate this important event complete with a ball, ceremony, dinner, dancing and cake.

With FUHS' 147 cadets currently isolated from one another due to COVID-19 restrictions and distance learning, celebrating this year posed a unique dilemma.

Connecting meaningfully with student cadets to continue this important ritual in 2020 meant getting creative. In addition to the unit all watching the USMC Commandant's birthday message of encouragement, the unit leadership thought about one of the most important elements of the celebration and ceremony – the gesture of cake being served in a manner symbolic of feeding and caring for the next generation.

Focusing on this element of the ceremony, they reached out to the local Albertsons to see if they would be willing to help.

With just a couple of days until the commemoration, it was a big ask – could Albertsons facilitate the cadets coming in individually and safely to each pick up a cupcake? – a tangible thing to give the cadets a little connection to each other and the important celebration.

The unit approached Albertsons Manager Sal Rojas with the request. Rojas and bakery manager Blanca Rios quickly agreed and went into full gear to accommodate the request and even donated a central cake. The management and staff went above and beyond, distributing single cupcakes to the individual cadets after school over a number of days.

At the time, Rojas and Albertsons facilitated this effort, the unit was unaware that Rojas himself was previously a Sergeant in the Marines. "It just goes to show that whether someone is active duty or served previously and now is in a civilian position, the spirit of service to others continues. That spirit is what we are working to foster in this next generation of cadets," said Lt. Col. William Wade, Senior Marine Instructor for the unit.

Wade continued, "This outreach quickly came together as one of those things that was meant to be. We want to thank Albertsons, Sal Rojas, Jeff Bruner, Blanca Rios, and the bakery staff for helping us find a way to safely connect student cadets to each other and the meaning of this event. They worked hard to bring something special to these young leaders of tomorrow."

Submitted by Fallbrook High School JROTC.