MADISON – For the second consecutive year, the Blue Knights Air Force Junior ROTC Drill Team and Honor Guard at Bob Jones High School earned top honors at an annual meet on Redstone Arsenal.

The Bob Jones cadets earned the first-place trophy again this year at the seventh annual Redstone Arsenal Sergeant Major Association North Alabama Region Drill Competition.

The Blue Knights’ tireless attendance at 6 a.m. practices on two days each week exemplifies their immense degree of hard work and determination, according to Contributing Writer Shirley Yeeda with “Patriot Pages.” (bjhspatriotpages.com).

The Blue Knights from Bob Jones competed against nine other schools in the North Alabama region, including Hazel Green High School, one of Bob Jones’s major rivals.

The Blue Knights entered seven events, including Armed Platoon Regulation, Unarmed Platoon Regulation, Armed Squad Regulation (with two teams in competition), Unarmed Squad Regulation (two teams in competition) and Color Guard Regulation (two teams).

Bob Jones earned first-place honors in the following drill sequences:
* Unarmed Platoon
* Armed Platoon
* Unarmed Squad — Team 1
* Honor Guard — Team 1

In addition, the Blue Knights claimed second place in Armed Squad for Team 1 and third place in the categories of Unarmed Squad for Team 2 and Honor Guard for Team 2.

With these top-level awards, the Blue Knights had high prospects for the drill season in 2020. The team planned to attend the AFJROTC Open Drill Nationals in late March to compete against the best AFJROTC drill teams from around the nation. Unfortunately, that contest was canceled because of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ellis Clark and Dr. Melissa M. Lacey work as aerospace science instructors at Bob Jones.

The mission of the Redstone Arsenal Sergeants Major Association is to relate the story of the U.S. Army Sergeant Major. This effort informs the public, private and social sectors about the Noncommissioned Officer Corps. (redstonesma.org)

Brandy Panagos sponsors the staff for “Patriot Pages.” For more information, visit bjhspatriotpages.com.