Throughout the school year, members of the Poughkeepsie High School Air Force Junior ROTC attend various events performing services. At each, Cadet Maj. Milton Kamura said, “we talk about how important it is that we hit our goals and that we exceed them. We don’t want to hit the bare minimum; we want to exceed the standards.”
Earlier this month, the Poughkeepsie squadron earned national recognition for doing just that.
For the first time in the program’s 12 years at the school, the Poughkeepsie AFJROTC earned an overall rating of “Exceeds Standards” – the highest rating attainable – in its annual unit assessment, conducted by AFJROTC Regional Director James Garcia.
“It’s an extremely big deal. It’s something our program has always been trying to achieve,” Cadet Col. Pixie Brown, a senior, said.  “To be practicing since September and actually hit this goal – it lit something inside of me.”
Chief Master Sgt. Mary Wagner, who has guided the program since its creation, called achieving the rating “a lot of hard work” after getting close to meeting the mark last year.
“We got an 87 last year. We bumped it up to a 92.5,” she said. “It’s always a lot of hard work. They did amazing.”
As much as the accomplishment belongs to the current cadets, student leadership said it’s also reflective of how the program has grown. In Brown’s freshman year, the club drew 60 members. This year’s it’s at 99.
Kamura referenced the squadron’s name – the Trailblazers – as a 
literal characterization of the recent leaders who have guided the club.
“The program has its ups and downs, but to reach where we have today, the torch had to be passed on,” the junior said. “The people who came before us paved the way for who we are today. That’s what we strive to continue to do.”
The evaluation assesses a squad’s compliance in dozens of areas relating to AFJROTC policies and procedures, including personal conduct, academic programming, uniform and grooming, physical fitness, equipment management, leadership, drills and others.
One drill demonstration is just for second-year cadets, with one cadet chosen to lead the drill and call commands. Two days before the inspection, Cadet 1st Lt. Yareli Jaurez learned she would replace the cadet originally picked for that role.
“I only had two days to practice with the entire team. We succeeded, we did well,” she said. “Our inspector, Mr. Garcia, was impressed with my commands and how I projected my voice and how I sounded.”
He was so impressed that he gave the sophomore a special coin, something commanders and senior leaders can do to issue an informal award spontaneously to recognize special achievement.
Pixie and Kamura, meanwhile, were given top performer awards, which, Pixie said, “kind of solidified all hard work that I put through was actually shown and appreciated.”
Top performer awards are given to the top 2% of a squadron.
“To bring everything together, hustling 98 cadets together to do this one massive event where we’re being graded – getting top performer really emphasizes how our efforts were displayed,” Kamura said.
The U.S. Air Force Accessions Center, in its release, noted the squad “impressed” Garcia during the March 13 evaluation “with its strong cadet leadership, active cadet participation and selfless community involvement.” Garcia called the Poughkeepsie group’s performance “a noteworthy accomplishment, adding it “reflects the dedication and leadership of Chief Master Sgt. Mary Wagner and Master Sgt. Malachi Carmichael, who deserve special recognition for mentoring and guiding your cadets.”
Brown credited the squadron’s leadership, past and present, for creating “an incredible environment. I can see it growing beautifully in the coming years.”
Kamura said the goal now is to again exceed expectations for years to come.
“We hope the next generation can pass on the torch and bring in even more honors and awards to our unit over time,” he said.
Kamura receives Flight Academy scholarship
Shortly after his squadron was recognized, Kamura earned another accomplishment. 
The junior learned his application was accepted to the Air Force’s Flight Academy Program. Kamura is receiving a full scholarship to attend a summer university program with the opportunity to earn his private pilot’s certificate. He was one of just 94 selected across the country.
The academy is an eight-week program held at one of roughly 20 partner universities across the country, as nearby as Delaware State University and as far as Walla Walla University in Washington. Cadets can list their preferred destination as part of the next step in the process. The program started in 2018 to address a national pilot shortage and address the lack of diversity in the aviation profession.
Carmichael called the scholarship “a significant accomplishment,” and credited College Readiness and Workforce Education Counselor Kelly Semexant and 11th grade School Counselor Amairani Perez-Antonio for assisting with his application.
Kamura has been pursuing his passion for flying for several years. He has been a member of the Lee A. Archer Jr. Red Tail Youth Flying Program at New York Stewart International Airport in New Windsor since 2023 and, yes, has flown a plane himself. Last year he helped launch the high school’s Aviation Club as a student coordinator, alongside Carmichael and Red Tails Flight Academy Executive Director Carlos Rodriguez.
“I’m on track to get my private pilot’s license,” he said. “My main goal after high school is to go to college to become an airline pilot.”