Waukegan JROTC Presents Drill Down! on April 8
Every year the Waukegan JROTC Corps of Cadets holds a drill competition and open house called Drill Down. This year's Drill Down will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Waukegan High School Washington Campus main gymnasium.
The event begins with the Regiment marching into the gym to the beat of the Drum and Bugle Corps. Competitions include individual marching competitions with sabers drill and guidons (company flags), as well as unit competitions between squads and platoons.
The evening concludes with a farewell to graduating seniors. In recent years the event has drawn between 750 and 1,000 spectators.
Waukegan JROTC officially began as one of the original 25 JROTC pilot programs authorized by an act of Congress in the national Defense Act of 1916, making it one of the oldest JROTC programs in the nation.
The WHS Bulldog Regiment currently holds the highest rating given to JROTC programs: "Honor Unit with Distinction." The program has maintained this level of performance for the last 20 years.
This distinction allows the principal to make nominations to West Point and other service academies.