Right face. Left face. About face.

Straight face.

"It takes a lot of practice," said Natrona County High School junior and Junior ROTC Cadet Jesica Miller.

"I'm very self-conscious," she said after winning the "drill down," one of the events in a Junior ROTC competition at the high school gym on Saturday.

She knows the commands and keeps the focus, and has to execute the orders with grace and precision without distractions from those around her.

"You have to keep a straight face," Miller said.

About 100 Junior ROTC members from four schools - NCHS, Cheyenne Central, Lander Valley and Rapid City Central - lined up to compete individually as 1st Sgt. Mack Riggs barked commands and four judges watched for any missteps.

The judges winnowed several dozen students for turning the wrong way, improper salutes and other mistakes.

The competition intensified as the judges began watching for the slightest slips in precision, further thinning the ranks with some students in near tears and angry at themselves for their goofs.

The competition narrowed to three, then two then Miller alone, who won a round of applause and another medal to jangle with the other military bling of marksmanship awards dangling from her neck.

The other major competitions were platoon drill and color guard.

While the military dress - khaki for the Army Junior ROTC and white shirts and black pants for Lander Valley's Navy Junior ROTC - was consistent, the squads accessorized to show their individuality with distinctive spats, berets and helmets.

The NCHS Junior ROTC squads wore chrome helmets, or "chrome domes" in their own parlance, said junior and Capt. Kayla Crawford.

She's the first sergeant for the color guard drill teams, which never train enough, she said.

Crawford pointed to the teams on the gym floor and critiqued how team members' feet properly lined up, how they held their flags and rifles, and how they responded to commands.

The judges would dock points for moving feet before commands were uttered, improperly rolling the flags on their poles, and for dropping the cloth flag casing on the floor, she said.

The training by the platoon drill teams and color guards pays off for public events such as parades, services at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery, and for naturalization ceremonies at the federal courthouse, said NCHS junior Cadet Command Sgt. Major Kaycee Archibeque.

About a fourth of the Junior ROTC students eventually pursue military careers, said senior and Battalion Executive Officer Aaron Stout, who is applying for admission to the Air Force Academy.

But military service is a secondary issue of the Junior ROTC, even though the training will enable recruits to start as privates first class instead of just private, Stout said.

"Our main goal is to help make you a better citizen," he said.

Part of their training includes history, politics and citizenship, and staying neutral during a highly charged political season, Stout said.

They intend to be military professionals regardless of what happens Nov. 4, he said. "We'll follow the commander in chief, whoever comes next."

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com

Platoon Drill

1. Natrona County High School

2. Lander Valley High School

3. Cheyenne Central High School

Color Guard

1. Rapid City Central High School

2. Natrona County High School, team No. 1

3. Lander Valley High School

Individual

1. Cadet Jesica Miller, Natrona County High School

2. Cadet Jonathan Schlager, Natrona County High School

3. Cadet Kyle Bernard, Natrona County High School]]->