Q&A with Major Cobbs, JROTC instructor

By Bryan W.

This Q&A is about Juan Cobbs, what he does in school and information about JROTC. He is the instructor of Airport High School’s JROTC class with the rank of Sergeant Major (SGM).  I had the pleasure of speaking with on the 23rd of September 23, 2025 inside his classroom in room 700.  Many students are discouraged from joining JROTC due to its relation to the military. My goal in interviewing Sergeant Major Cobbs is to answer any questions or misunderstandings they might have.

Bryan: What does JROTC stand for? 

Major Cobbs: It's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, JROTC.

Bryan: What do you do as a teacher here?

Major Cobbs: What I do as a teacher here is teach students to be leaders. better citizens, and role models in their classroom.

Bryan: Have you ever taught at other schools?

Major Cobbs: I've taught at another high school in Central, and I've taught in college, South Carolina State.

Bryan: How long have you been teaching?

Major Cobbs: Since high school, since 2016.

Bryan:  What are the benefits of joining JROTC?

Major Cobbs: I’d say the benefits of joining JROTC are that cadets may become better role models in the classroom, Being able to participate in multiple events, drill teams, boxership, drone, and a variety of leadership opportunities that you will not get in other classes.

Bryan: Have you ever been part of JROTC yourself?

Major Cobbs: No…. Technically yes. Not JROTC, but senior ROTC in college.

Bryan: Why are there so many trophies inside this classroom?

Major Cobbs: Throughout the years, this school has won a lot of drill competitions, so that's why we have a lot of trophies.

Bryan: If there was anything you could change about this class, what would it be?

Major Cobbs: If there was something I could change in the classroom? It’d be a larger room so that I could teach JROTC to more students.

Bryan: What advice would you give to cadets planning to join JROTC?

Major Cobbs: It's a great course. It will challenge you. We do multiple things. We also do exercises. And we do a lot of field trips. It's unique in how cadets will do a lot of different things.

Bryan: As my final question, I want to ask you, what is the mission of JROTC?

Major Cobbs: The mission of JROTC is to teach cadets to be better citizens.

After sending a follow-up email to Major Cobbs requesting supplementar questions to give a greater understanding of JROTC , He generously responded with additional answers. I have included his feedback below, which helped with my goal of clearing misconceptions students may have about JROTC.

Bryan: What are some of the ways JROTC can be fun?

Major Cobbs: JROTC is fun for what we do in JROTC.  Some things we do in JROTC includes Drill, Drones, Field Trips, marksmanship, PT, classroom instructions.

Bryan: How can students join JROTC?

Major Cobbs: In order to join JROTC, a student need to just ask their advisor.

Bryan: Is JROTC connected to the military?

Major Cobbs: No JROTC is not the military, we do follow some of the military structure and procedures, but we are not the military.

Bryan: What are the uniforms for JROTC?

Major Cobbs: Uniforms are PT, Camouflage uniform (OCP), and Class A Dressed uniform (ASU, which stands for Army Service Uniform)

Bryan: Can you leave JROTC once you join?

Major Cobbs: Yes you can leave JROTC, you can leave by passing and moving on or you can be disenrolled in JROTC for bad behavior

I hope my conversation with Sergeant Major Cobbs helped clear up any misapprehensions people may have had about JROTC. It’s a class that helps students become better leaders and role models in their community. There’s a lot more to JROTC than what was covered in this interview. If you’re looking for something different, fun, and challenging, it might be worth checking out.