The Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) unit at Milpitas High School has been designated Distinguished Unit for 2026 by the Naval Service Training Command. The unit also received recognition as Area 22 Most Improved Unit.
The last time the unit received a major award was in 2015, when it got the Unit Achievement Award. Before that, it received the Distinguished Unit Award in 2010.
“Prior to that, the unit was routinely awarded and recognized as being a top program in California,” said Senior Naval Instructor and Command Master Chief Patrick McCormick, who has been leading the unit since the start of the school year.
McCormick, along with Master Chief James Whitney, has been working to rebuild the unit since last August.
“First and foremost, I asked the leadership what was working and what needed to be changed. Then we started our journey by revamping the classroom and putting in new rules and regulations into place to right any past wrongs,” said Command Master Chief McCormick. “We identified goals and put a strategic plan to execute each goal. I asked the cadets to trust my vision and put in the work. The rest are the results you see today.”
Akshat Giri joined NJROTC at Milpitas High, when he was an eighth grader. He’s currently a sophomore and was recently promoted to Cadet Ensign.
“The recognition shows we’re one of the best in the area. We’ve come a long way. This unit has gone through a long overhaul this year. Our end of year report showed that we had significant improvement. It makes me proud to be a part of all that,” said Giri to The Beat.
Arabella Arreola, a freshman, serves as petty officer third class. She also joined NJROTC while she was in eighth grade. At first, she just saw it as an interesting extracurricular activity she did after school, but in time, her experience in NJROTC grew to become so much more.
“I have a really big passion for ROTC now. I think more people should be in ROTC,” said Arreola. “I’m just very proud that I was a part of earning Distinguished Unit and Most Improved. We have a lot of new people, and I think they all contributed to us getting the award.”
In the past, the unit has struggled with low enrollment numbers. In 2024, the program was placed on probation due to lack of cadets and was at risk of being shut down by the Navy. But due to a targeted campaign to rebuild and do more outreach, recruitment has been trending upward and has doubled in size.
During this school year, the program had a total of 108 cadets, which included the 8th grade program, for which students from Thomas Russell Middle School came to the high school campus to attend NJROTC classes.
Now that the 8th grade program has ended for the academic year, there are 88 cadets total.
Command Master Chief McCormick won’t be continuing on to work at the high school again next year; Master Chief Whitney will be taking his position for the time being.
“These awards are a direct reflection of our cadets’ grit, discipline, and commitment to Honor, Courage, and Commitment. ‘Most Improved’ means our cadets never settled. Under Command Master Chief McCormick’s leadership, they put in extra hours, perfected their drill, and looked out for one another,” said Master Chief Whitney. “‘Distinguished Unit’ status places them among the absolute best – an honor earned through every early morning, community service event, and moment they chose to lead by example. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.”
Eli Wingo, who was recently promoted to Cadet Ensign, is currently in his junior year. He has been involved in NJROTC since freshman year, when he was a high school student in San Diego. This semester has been his first with MUSD. He feels that the program’s recent recognitions are well-deserved, and he is honored to be a part of it.
“This unit has been a really welcoming community,” said Wingo. “It taught me a lot of skills in leadership that I’ve never had before.”
Congratulations MUSD NJROTC well done