Bulldog Army JROTC’s Day of Service at Transition House

  • ARMY ROTC St. Cloud Army ROTC cadet sergeants supervise cadets serving lunch to Transition House residents on Dec. 10. PHOTO/ST. CLOUD HIGH
    ARMY ROTC St. Cloud Army ROTC cadet sergeants supervise cadets serving lunch to Transition House residents on Dec. 10. PHOTO/ST. CLOUD HIGH

Cadets with the St. Cloud High Army Junior ROTC program spent Dec. 10 at the Transition House for a day of Service.

The event was part of the Service and Learning curriculum of the school’s Reserve Officer Training Program, as 31 participated in meeting residents, many of them military veterans, and serving lunch. Afterwards, the cadets and residents played outdoor games such as basketball and cornhole and engaged in one-on-one conversations.

“We are ‘awakening’ our previous service in the community commitment after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Donnelly (Ret.), Senior Army Instructor at Saint Cloud High School, said. “Each cadet brought a dessert from home, in addition to giving of their time on a Saturday.”

The mission of the Transition House, located on 5th Street in St. Cloud, is to guide and empower clients through their struggles with behavioral health issues, such as substance abuse, mental health, and other co-occurring disorders. The St. Cloud location conducts several veterans programs. Prior to the pandemic, the Transition House and the St. Cloud High JROTC had ongoing interaction.

“We had a very symbiotic relationship,” said Donnelly. “I got to know their founder, Dr. Tom Griffin, and they would provide us transportation to some of our events with their multipassenger vehicles, and our cadets would visit regularly.”

St. Cloud High School Assistant Principal Jennifer Wrona brought along a service dog, Murphy the Golden Labrador, as well. Murphy is named in remembrance of Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL officer who died in Afghanistan in 2005. Sacrificing his own life to relay the position of his surrounded team for extraction, Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

At the end of the program, several residents spoke to the group of the benefit to them of the cadets’ visit and their appreciation.

The young cadets participating asked specifically not to be identified, “in the spirit of their providing service to the Transition House veterans.”