Addison Trail’s Blazer Battalion visits local senior living community

On Nov. 12, 15 members of Addison Trail’s Blazer Battalion U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program visited Clarendale of Addison, which is a senior living community.

During the field trip, Battalion Commander C/LTC Sophia Barragan (a senior at Addison Trail) gave a brief history of the program and explained that the students (referred to as cadets) were there to honor the residents and show them appreciation. The cadets rotated leaders and sang nine Army marching cadences to about 90 residents (many of whom are veterans) and employees. To watch segments of their program, click on the videos above.

The group also donated 700 pairs of socks, which were collected during the annual BLACKtopia Conference on Nov. 8 at Addison Trail (read more about that event at https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/17162). Those items were given to residents at Bridgeway Senior Living in Bensenville.

To prepare for their presentation, the cadets practiced about three hours a week for three weeks. The goal of the outing was for the cadets to experience working as a team and to understand the importance of giving back through community service.

The battalion plans to return to Clarendale on Dec. 20 to perform holiday carols.