JLBC Cadets - Fostering Selfless Service, Honor, and Leadership
- Kirk Carlson
- Jun 17, 2023
- 2 min read

Title: JLBC Cadets - Fostering Selfless Service, Honor, and Leadership
Introduction
The Junior Leader Boot Camp (JLBC) Cadets program aims to instill strong values in young people, such as selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. By providing a structured environment that promotes character development and leadership skills, the JLBC Cadets program molds future leaders who put the nation's welfare before their own.
Selfless Service and Honor
Selfless service is the cornerstone of the JLBC Cadets' values system. The cadets are taught to put the nation's welfare, their unit, and their fellow cadets above their self-interest. This commitment to a cause greater than oneself is integral to developing honor, living up to all values, and creating a sense of duty and loyalty.
Integrity and Personal Courage
Integrity is central to the JLBC Cadets' ethos, emphasizing the importance of doing what is right, legally and morally. Personal courage, another core value, teaches cadets to face fear, danger, or adversity with resilience and determination.
Principles and Leadership
The JLBC leadership model is based on 11 principles, which guide cadets to become effective and compassionate leaders. These principles include knowing oneself, seeking improvement, being technically proficient, seeking responsibility, taking responsibility for one's actions, making sound and timely decisions, setting an example, knowing one's personnel, developing commitment in followers, ensuring tasks are understood, and building a team.
A JLBC leader must be of solid and honorable character, set an example, and be able to resolve complex problems. The five things a leader must know are the four leadership factors, self-awareness, human nature, their job, and their unit.
Providing Purpose, Direction, and Motivation
A JLBC leader must "do" three essential things: provide purpose, direction, and motivation. These elements are crucial in guiding and inspiring followers to achieve their goals and fulfill their potential.
Drill Commands and Positioning
Drill commands are integral to the JLBC Cadets' training, teaching discipline, and teamwork. Most drill commands consist of two parts: the preparatory command and the command of execution. The preceding order mentally prepares the cadets for the movement, while the management of execution initiates the action.
When giving commands to a unit at a halt, the leader is positioned at the position of attention and faces the team.
Conclusion
The JLBC Cadets program is vital in fostering selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage, and leadership skills in young people. By adhering to the principles and values taught in the program, cadets develop a strong foundation that will serve them well in their future endeavors, both within and beyond the military.
Comments