Future Soldiers Speak with Senator Carper, Carper to review Junior ROTC Officers and Students Leaders at Middletown High School

MIDDLETOWN, DE – Retired Navy Captain and current US Senator Tom Carper will offer the nation’s thanks to and focus on the future with Delaware’s future military and student leaders this Friday at Middletown High School. “Our soldiers in Afghanistan are living up to the legacy of courage set by the veterans who came before them. But the next generation of American military heroes could be right here, at Middletown High school,” said Carper, who was the mission commander of a P-3 aircraft in Southeast Asia during Vietnam and the Cold War. “They will be the future leaders in the fight to protect our nation’s freedom.” The school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program was created at Middletown in 1980 and is known as “The Cavaliers.” They were honored in the past by the US Army Command as an “Honor Unit.” Carper will meet with members of the ROTC and the Student Council to talk about the war in Afghanistan and the education bill signed this week by President Bush. They will then tour the school. “The ROTC combines education with honor. These ROTC students will graduate Middletown High School with more than a diploma – they will have a greater sense of dignity and respect,” said Carper, who for eight years was Commander in Chief of the Delaware National Guard and attended Ohio State University on an ROTC scholarship. “They seek to represent their nation with pride.” WHO: Future Soldiers, Student Leaders, Senator Tom Carper WHAT: Discuss the situation in Afghanistan, perform Senate inspection WHERE: Middletown High School, 120 Silver Lake Road, Middletown, DE WHEN: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, January 11th, 2002