JLBC Personal Leadership Journal of Cadet John Curry
10 January 2022 – C/2d Lt
Squadron Meeting. We had five prospective cadets tonight. I overheard one kid who is maybe twelve tell his mother something that made me think. “I wasn’t sure about joining JLBC,” he said, “but I want to be like Lieutenant Curry. He’s awesome.” I don’t remember doing anything special or even having much contact with him, except when I said hello, welcome to JLBC, where you go to school, etc. It sure is nice to hear you’ve made a good impression on someone. I guess it’s easy to forget how much power cadet officers have as role models.
2 July 2022– C/Capt
Field trip to the Air & Space Museum. In my van, the usual guys (the whole cadet staff) and I had a great time during the long ride. Traveling in the other van were a bunch of thirteen-year-old. The two vans were to travel in convoy, but somehow we separated. When the second van stopped for lunch, Capt Arnold was upset when he realized no cadet staff was on hand to shepherd the cadets and keep them in line, especially since this was the first time many of them wore their uniform in public. In retrospect, this was a “duh” moment for me. There were two cadet officers and 4 NCOs on this trip. I should have divvied up the staff between the two vans. I know I’m responsible for all the cadets, but I hadn’t thought, “What if the vans get separated?” Next time, I’ll try to think about the “what if’s” more.
9 September 2022 – C/Capt
JLBC Conference. I gave a speech about my experience at the JLBC Leadership Academy. I’m a pretty good speaker, but I was more nervous with 100 people in the audience than usual. About halfway through my talk, I started feeling more comfortable. When the speech ended and I returned to my seat, I felt like I wanted to turn back the clock and get up there and try delivering my address again. I think the lesson here is “practice makes perfect.” If I had practiced the speech more, I would have been more comfortable with my delivery. Next time, I’d like to try practicing my speech in front of the squadron and get Maj Wright to critique it before I deliver it for real at a big event.
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