Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 42

Hometown HEROES
By Amber Lanier Nagle
Jim Minta,
Lorenzo Cox
stand with their
NJROTC cadets when
it matters most
D
ressed in perfectly pressed uniforms, the cadets glide
across the polished floor of the gymnasium, their eyes
focused in front of them and their feet marching in
rhythmic unison as they pivot into complicated formations.
These Cobb County students from Lassiter, Pope and Kell high
schools represent the award-winning Lassiter-Pope-Kell Navy
Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, also known as NJROTC,
a Navy-sanctioned high school program that emphasizes
citizenship, service to the country, personal responsibility and
leadership skills among those enrolled in its classes. The
program also promotes volunteerism through communityservice
projects.
There are more than 600 NJROTC units in the U.S., each
with one or more instructors who guide the students through
intensive scholastic curricula. For six years, Capt. James " Jim "
Minta served alongside 1st Sgt. Lorenzo Cox as a naval science
instructor for the Lassiter-Pope-Kell unit. In 2017, the two
instructors realized there were greater lessons to teach the
cadets beyond military history, strategies, ship schematics,
weather and weaponry.
" Two brothers in our unit were killed in a car accident.
Their sister was also a cadet in our program, " retired military
officer Minta says. " It was a devastating loss for all of us. Our unit
had an active role in the memorial service. "
In the days and weeks that followed, Minta and Cox
facilitated lots of conversations and hugs. Many of the students
had never experienced death on a personal level, and the two
men helped them as they mourned and learned how to show up
for others in times of distress.
" We took care of each other, and we supported the family
during that difficult time, " remembers Cox, a retired Marine with
23 years of service. " We laughed, we cried and we prayed
together, and we soon found our way forward. "
Eighteen months later, a cadet took his own life, and
members of the unit found themselves companions in grief
once again.
" We've lost too many cadets here, " Cox says. " Each time,
we dealt with our grief together-as a unit. "
Minta and Cox say that NJROTC not only prepares cadets
academically but also builds unbreakable bonds, helps students
develop high levels of caring and compassion and teaches them
how to navigate the ups and downs of life. Time after time, the
130 or so students at Lassiter-Pope-Kell win awards (two Unit
Achievement Awards and three Distinguished Unit Awards in
the last five years) and rise above all obstacles to embody the
Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment.
Minta, who retired from teaching in June, says that he and
Capt. James " Jim " Minta, left, and 1st Sgt. Lorenzo Cox
with some of their NJROTC cadets.
42 Georgia Magazine November 2022
Cox represent the hundreds of NJROTC instructors in the U.S.
who work with young people to help them " become better
citizens. " But their efforts go far beyond that. Through their
mentoring, leadership and love, Cox, Minta and teachers like
them are helping to build better people.
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer living in
Adairsville.
AMBER LANIER NAGLE

Georgia Magazine - November 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - November 2022

Contents
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 4
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 5
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 6
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 7
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 8
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 9
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 10
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 11
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 12
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 13
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Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 41
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 42
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - Cover4
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