On September 22, the Lennard High School JROTC Color Guard had the honor of presenting the nation’s colors at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home football game against the Denver Broncos.
“I was very grateful that we were invited to this,” said Cadet Jaron McFarquhar, current JROTC battalion commander and a senior at Lennard High School. “It was really a fun experience to do.”
It all began when the Lennard JROTC senior Army instructor, Retired Lt. Col. Dave Dietz, reached out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ press/media team over email, volunteering the Lennard cadets for a chance to present the colors during a game this season. Within a week to a week-and-a-half later, Dietz learned that the media staff had accepted his application and set the date for when the color guard would present. Thus, the color guard learned early on in the year about this exciting opportunity.
On a Sunday, the Lennard Color Guard, composed of four staff and two alternates, reported to the Raymond James Stadium between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. Although the color guard did not undergo any special preparations in the weeks before the event, all six cadets were required to arrive roughly three hours before the official kickoff to acclimate to the different field conditions and quickly review their marching technique. McFarquhar noted that this was particularly exciting, as the cadets got to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warm up before they officially took the field at 1 p.m.
During the color presentation, the color guard was broadcasted on the jumbotron, an experience Dietz thought incredible for his cadets. Afterwards, the color guard remained to watch the game alongside friends and family.
“It was an honor, it really was. We were very happy that we got a chance to do this,” said McFarquhar. “We all didn’t know what to expect at the beginning, but once we found out, it was pretty much simple.”
