Fishburne performs at the 83rd Shenandoah Apple Blossom Parade in Winchester, Virginia

Fishburne deployed over 50 cadets to Winchester, VA on Saturday, located in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley, to participate in the Apple Blossom Festival. It was a hot and humid day reaching a high temperature in the upper 80s. Cadets were outfitted in their parade dyke of coatees and tunics… not really designed for this extremely hot climate.  The corps was resupplied with water in the staging area by Mr. and Mrs.  Richer which really helped the cadets perform beautifully. The corps was relentless and persevered during the three hour event, never lowering their performance standards. The frequency of the routines along the parade route was exhausting as there were many opportunities to show off this year’s long drill and ceremony training.

The Apple Blossom Parade is one of the largest parades on the east coast. It takes over four hours for all the elements to cover the 1.55 mile parade route. Thousands of spectators who lined the parade route were very supportive and patriotic. The corps of cadets received high praise and loud applause as they made their way around the center of the city. LTC Hunt’s family and friends were observing from two strategic locations along the route where the band and drill teams performed there moves with perfection despite the challenging weather conditions. The band played patriotic songs and Corporal Johnson displayed his bagpipe skills in his hometown. CPT Roger Wells marched and played along his small band entertaining and impressing the crowd. His performance inspired and motivated the entire FMS parade element. The band was led by 1SG Montgomery and the drum major did an outstanding job keeping his unit motivated and the pace of the musical performance maximized.

The Corps Commander C/LTC Richer led with great presence and demeanor. Color Guard Commander C/MSG Knapp maintained high standards throughout the parade route. C/PSG Pysbilski conducted the 15 count manual of arms throughout the parade with drill meet competition precision. C/SFC Guiffre’s Hudgins Rifles awed the crowd with the exhibition trick rifle techniques. It was the first time ever that the most difficult rifle exchange toss was performed during a parade performance. Deputy Commandant SFC C said he received reports from friends who attended the parade and they communicated to him that Fishburne was the best of the four military schools that participated in the Apple Blossom Parade. LTC Hunt’s family and friends were also very impressed as they said it was clear that the cadets were giving 100% effort to display the best possible performance for the parade crowd and it was clear the crowd was extremely pleased. Overall the consensus of the JROTC Staff of LTC Hunt, 1SG Hensley and MSG Morton was the corps again rose to the occasion and performed at the highest level under very trying conditions.

LTC Hunt- “We are very proud of the cadets that performed at the parade. We made a very positive impression on the thousands of spectators that attended the 83rd Shenandoah Apple Blossom Parade. We showed why we are the best small military school in America.”

Thanks!

COL HUNT