Discharges, etc., for Henry Gettman

[deddygetty]

Ft Lewis, July 5, 1935

[Tanker1]

Fantastic! What a service record!

[sgtpeter]

Deddy -

 

Great info you have there!

[Pathfinder101]

This is a wonderful archive for your father. I am currently the JROTC Instructor at Walla Walla High School, and rifle marksmanship team coach. Your Dad would be glad to know a few things:

 

1. We still have a rifle team at WAHI, and always have. I currently have 85 students that take my JROTC Rifle Marksmanship Class (it is one of the most popular classes on campus, there is always a waiting list to get it).

2. The trophy your Dad is posing with in the newspaper clipping still hangs in our Rifle Range. We keep it polished, and refer to it often. Next year, my cadets will be responsible for memorizing the names of the team members on it (something I am adding to my class).

3. 1929 was the last time Walla Walla High School JROTC Rifle Team was ranked #3 in the nation. Until this year. In March 2013 our precision rifle team traveled to Anniston, Alabama to compete in the JROTC National Championship. We brought home the 3rd place trophy for the first time in 84 years. All of my shooters can quote that statistic (in fact, it was a question on their semester final last week).

4. Walla Walla High School JROTC is in a 5-way tie for the oldest JROTC program in the United States. When JROTC became a federal program in 1916, 6 schools were accepted nationally on the initial "look". WAHI was one of those schools. 5 of us are still operational (our cadets memorize this statistic as well).

5. We don't actually know how old the high school military cadet program is at WAHI, as there was a Corps of Cadets there long before JROTC was officially a federal program. I am meeting with the director of the local museum at Fort Walla Walla this week in an effort to go through the archives here at the fort and try to nail down a date. I have an 1899 class picture from WAHI showing all the boys in cadet grey-so I know it goes back at least that far.

6. Aside from your father (who was the national champion in 1935) we have coached at least two national champions out of WAHI over the years. My predecessor (who kept the rifle team alive through some very lean times over his 23 year tenure) coached C/Cpt Jennifer Harrison in 1996 and C/Cpt Amber Criss in 2007 as JROTC national champions. This is another statistic that our cadets memorize.

7. I believe your father was the first National Guardsman to earn the Distinguished Rifle Badge. This year one of my shooters became the first WAHI cadet to earn the Junior Distinguished Rifle Badge (that program has only been in effect for about 25 years). I currently have 3 more shooters that I expect to earn the badge this coming year, hopefully at the Junior Olympics National Championship next month.

8. Your father is a part of our WAHI JROTC history and occupies an honored place in our program.

 

As I piece together the deeper history of this program, if you have any information that you can contribute that may be of use, I would welcome it. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I will be spending the summer doing a good deal of research.

 

Pathfinder101