JROTC at EDHS the History
84th Army Junior ROTC Battalion
The Panthers
East Duplin High School
Beulaville, NC
The History of the 84th Army JROTC Battalion
In 1983 a local Duplin County resident, (Ms. Houston) believed her community could benefit from having an Army Junior ROTC Program in her county. She wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Mr. Casper Weinberger and requested the approval for a Junior Reserve Officer Training Program to be started at East Duplin High School.
By a stroke of luck, a relative of Ms. Houston happened to work at the Department of Defense and therefore managed to expedite the request through channels to the Secretary himself. Shortly thereafter, the program request was approved and is now reaching its fourth decade.
The program began in 1984, and is managed and led by two retired army veterans, a commissioned officer, and a non-commissioned officer. The first instructors were Major Rousseau and Master Sergeant Bell. Following these first two were Major Christen and Sergeant Major Billie Higgs who worked together for a great many years. The officers that followed were Major Keith Bowles, Major Dave Fedora, Major Gary Hill, LTC Paul Brown and COL Mark Hendrick - who is the current Senior Army Instructor. Master Sergeant Betty Baysden worked with several of these officers, but upon her retirement in 2016 she held the distinction of being the longest serving Army Instructor at East Duplin High School, with a total of 19 years. The current program's success owes much to her dedication and commitment throughout those years. Master Sergeant Dom Vidrine followed MSG Baysden, and was followed by the current Army Instructor Chief Warrent Officer Steven Gill.
Another key figure in the success of the program is a local resident, Mr. Charles Deering. He has provided great support throughout the years and was instrumental in many of the activities available to cadets today. For two years, when the officer instructor position was vacant, he served as an assistant to Master Sergeant Baysden. During this period Mr. Deering, along with help from cadets, built what is known today as the EDHS obstacle course, which we use for Raider Competitions and physical training. He also built the marksmanship shooting targets and improved many other areas of the program.
When the JROTC program started, the Principle was Mr. Powers followed by Mr. Kennedy, who played a major role in keeping the program alive as he served here for 18 years; followed by others; in particular Dr Turk who was instrumental in JROTC changing location within the school, which enabled us to have two classrooms, and a marksmanship area. Mr Thigpen and Mr Ballard have supported the program to the current date. Our history doesn't end with East Duplin; our program gave birth to the other programs within the county; at first, both James Kenan, Wallace, and N. Duplin were managed under the control of ED. Later, they would get their own programs. As life goes, there are always changes, our program has had its ups and downs, but we have become very successful throughout the years, and have made a tremendous impact on our community. We are well received and respected within our community, and each cadet that enters our doors should know that you've entered a great program that you will learn and grow with. You are the next generation/s; you can and will make a difference in the life/lives of others. Hooah!
East Duplin High School was the first Army Junior ROTC program in the county and therefore it was decided that it's name would be a reflection of the year it was founded, 1984. Going strong now for nearly four decades, the 84th Army Junior ROTC battalion looks toward the future as it continues the mission of "Motivating Young People to be Better Citizens".