Sixteen Sailors from Navy Medicine Training Support Center (NMTSC) partnered with Air Force and Army drill instructors Dec. 3 to support a Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) competition in San Antonio, Texas.

The NMTSC staff and Hospital Corps School instructors are based at Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and were among the more than 30 military volunteers needed to support the Sea Dragon Classic, annual NJROTC events NMTSC has supported for the past three years.

More than 1,000 high school students from 35-plus Texas schools participated at the competition held at Southwest High School in San Antonio. Some students traveled to San Antonio from as far away as Corpus Christi and Houston, Texas. The Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen managed and judged event competitions such as academic testing, physical fitness, uniform inspections, color guard, and armed and unarmed exhibition and drill.

Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Ramirez, a command career counselor for NMTSC and the First Class Petty Officer Association president, was one of the Navy volunteers. He said the competition gave him a chance to spend time with those who will follow in his footsteps.

"It's an opportunity to see the future of the armed services and where it is going," he said. "I'm proud to be able to represent the Navy and NMTSC, and our attendance there gives the students some insight into what they will see if they join the military after high school."

Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Johnston, a Navy Military Training Instructor administrative assistant with NMTSC, agreed, adding, "Our presence is important at events like these because we should have a hands-on approach in the development of the future leaders of our Navy. It also helps the Navy maintain a good relationship with the community, which is vital to the Navy's mission."

The NJROTC events are held annually in part as a way for the students to prepare for competing in the district and regional competitions with the ultimate goal of winning at the state level, as Southwest High School did in 2015.



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