Canon City High School

Army JROTC

Cadet of the Month SOP

    The CCHS Tiger Battalion holds monthly, bi-quarterly, and semester interview boards. This SOP concentrates on the COM (cadet of the month) boards used as a competitive system between the three companies in the battalion, as well as an instructor-used guideline for creating an effective leadership structure in the future. This SOP is mainly for the use of COM nominees but is also used for company commanders and first sergeants alike. 

    The COM board and its successful system have created a good understanding for instructors in making important decisions regarding leadership in the battalion, as well as providing them with a working knowledge of how well the cadets are capable of performing.

Table of contents

Understanding the process for COM …………………………………………. Page 2

Grading scheme…………………………………………………………………………. Page 2-3

• Uniform

• Entrance

• Report in

• Current event

• LET-1 level curriculum questions

The morning of the COM interview……………………………………………. Page 3-4

• The COM board’s job

• Being on time

• How to report in

• During the interview

• After the COM board

Terminology………………………………………………………………………………. Page 4

Authorizations…………………………………………………………………………… Page 4

2

The process of COM

    The first thing that happens for the board is that the CSM (Command Sergeant Major) sends a memo to the company's first sergeants telling them when the board is scheduled for. Then the companies nominate one male or female cadet to send to the COM board. Next, the CSM decides what questions will be asked that have been taken out of the CQD (Cadet Question databank).  On the morning of the COM board, the three COM nominees are awaiting their individual interviews. 

    The three nominees will wait outside the door to the interview room, they will knock three times when the board signals ready, and the first nominee will conduct their interview. Each cadet will be required to be in their Class-A uniform with their garrison cap or beret, as well as a brisk military appearance. The three nominees will be called in after the three interviews are completed, the COM will be announced and the board is over.

Grading Scheme

    The COM is graded by five different areas, the ranking score will be out of 720 of the combined scores of the graders.  The grading scheme is as follows:

Entrance: 5-6 points total

• -1 loss of military bearing

• -1 fault in the entrance of the room

• -1 improper movements

Report in: 4 points

• -1 improper address of superiors

• -1 does not properly introduce self

• -1 loss of military bearing

• -1 improper report in

Uniform: 10 points

• -1 for every uniform malfunction

Current event: 10 points

• - 6 does not know the current event

• -1 slow to respond

• -1 addressing superiors

• -1 bearing

• -1 attention

LET-1 Curriculum knowledge: each worth 10 points

• -6 does not know the question

• -1 slow to respond

• -1 Address superiors properly

• -1 loss of military bearing

• -1 does not sit at the position of attention

Total points possible: 720

    Following are the expectations of the different sections of the interview

Requirements:

    In order to be nominated for Cadet of the Month the nominees must complete the Private and Private First Class promotion sheets.

Entrance

    Your entrance as a COM nominee will demonstrate to the COM board whether or not you are proficient in the correct military precision in your movements, since you are required to represent the training implemented by your CC and your 1st Sergeant.

Report in

    The way and manner in which you report will tell the COM board whether or not you can be cool under pressure and maintain your military bearing under stressful situations.

Uniform

    Your uniform is one of the most important parts of the interview; it is the most complete review of your accomplishments thus far in the JROTC program. When someone puts on the uniform of the Tiger Battalion that person represents the fundamental core beliefs of our program. If the uniform is wrong in any way then the program is misrepresented and the cadet is showing a lack of foresight and care.

Current event

    It is important for everyone to know the current events in our world. What happens in one part of the world affects the other. It is especially important for JROTC cadets to know what is going on in our world because the military and funding to the defense department are affected by global issues.

LET-1 Curriculum knowledge

    As a COM nominee, you will be expected to know everything that a LET-1 is required to know. Failure to know LET-1 knowledge will demonstrate that you do not have the ability to absorb mission-essential information.

The morning of the COM Board

The COM board’s job

    The members of the COM board arrive early to ensure that the interview location is prepared. The First Sergeant from each company is required to be on the COM board, as they are part of the board. The CSM, the First Sergeants, the Army instructors, and invited members from external organizations will be the components of the board.

Being on time

    Plan to arrive at the location of the COM board at least ten minutes early. It is important to be on time because it shows that you care about others’ time and not just your own. Also, you WILL be disqualified from the COM if you are late.

How to report in

    You will knock three times on the door to the interview room when prompted to come in. You will enter the room, preventing the door from slamming, afterwards you will march over to in front of the chair set aside for your use and stop at the position of attention. Facing the COM board you will say while saluting: “Cadet (your rank and name) reporting for Cadet of the Month board.”  You will not drop your salute until the board members salute back. Before being told to sit, your uniform will be inspected.

During the Interview

    During the interview, you will be expected to sit in the position of attention. The position of attention is as follows:

     Your head and eyes are straight forward as if you were standing at attention; your feet are at a 45-degree angle with the heels as the joint between the two. Your hands are cupped like in the standing position of attention, but the arms are extended to where the bottom of the hands come to rest before 

the knees. The back is straight and the chest is out, only speak when spoken to and address superiors by rank.

After the COM is complete

    The other nominees and you will wait outside while the results are scrutinized, then you will all be called into the room and the COM award will be announced. The three nominees will stand in front of the COM board before the final judgment is given. By this time the COM is over and the board is dismissed. Hopefully, by this phase in the game, you are higher in rank than you were before.

Terminology

AI: Army Instructor

BC: Battalion Commander

BFI: Battalion Formal Inspection

CC: Company commander

COM: Cadet of the Month

CSM: Command Sergeant Major

HUD: Honor Unit with Distinction

HU: Honor Unit

JROTC: Junior Reserve Officers Training corps

MU: Merit Unit

SAI: Senior Army Instructor

SOP: Standard Operation Procedures

S-1: Staff Position 1 (All battalion staff positions start with an S followed by their staff number.)

XO: Executive Officer

SFC Damion Grimshaw (R)                                                                                       C/LTC Alexandra Taylor

Army JROTC Army Instructor                                                                                   Battalion Commander

Canon City High School                                                                                             Canon City High School

C/MAJ Abigail Gaule                                                                                                  C/CSM Grace Grosch

Battalion Executive Officer                                                                                       Command Sergeant Major

Canon City High School                                                                                             Canon City High School