This school year, UC High’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) program has employed a second instructor to the program, Master Sergeant Eric Cole, who joins Gunnery Sergeant Clyde Harris, and they plan to provide a positive learning experience for the cadets.
Cole said, “My goal as an instructor of the JROTC program is to build a program conducive for leadership growth, military education, and camaraderie to build a family-oriented mindset that creates quality San Diegans.”
Nevertheless, Cole said, “I love the fact that the program has quality staff leadership already in place and the fact that the cadets actually enjoy being in the program.” Cole added, “Mentors during my time in the Marine Corps provided me with knowledge and resources that I wasn’t privy to, and that helped me prepare for my time spent serving. For example, experience with mentors taught me how patience is a virtue, meaning that you need to have patience with yourself and others, and understand that everyone grows at different speeds.”
Cole has wanted to be an instructor for years, expressing, “I’ve been passionate about the youth and teaching them since I was a youth. My mom died when I was 14, a freshman in high school, and I wish I had educators who were genuine and passionate about my growth as a young man. So when I transitioned to post-military, I wanted to be that example to the youth — this opportunity provided the chance for that.”
Cole is the fifth instructor for some of the students who are starting their fourth year of JROTC. Cadet Senior Dawson Daniels said, “I feel Master Sergeant is doing a great job, especially with connecting with the cadets. I believe that Master Sergeant has done a great job working with the cadets as well as Gunnery Sergeant Clyde Harris, and I feel like together they will make JROTC great.”
Daniels added, “Having two instructors allows for double coverage, as well as coverage when one instructor can’t be there. Additionally, we have multiple teams, and so there is a large benefit from having two instructors as they can be at practices for different teams at the same time watching and helping correct errors.”
Gunnery Sergeant Clyde Harris, who has been teaching at UC High since October 2022, is very familiar with Cole. He said, “I knew about [Cole] for a long time, but I actually met him in 2014.” They worked together in a leadership course, with Harris noting that they, “…work very well together.”
Harris joined the MCJROTC program last December, and when he came to UC High, he found that fitting into the role of an instructor “…wasn’t too hard” noting, “During my time as a warehouse director I developed a laid back leadership style while still knowing how to push my marines to their limits. Obviously, I also had to learn how to manage the work of many subordinates, which also applies to my job here.”
Harris had a career spanning 22 years in the Marine Corps before his retirement from it and transition to being an instructor. Harris stated, “I joined the Corps because I hadn’t been doing too well in high school, and with college looking like an unlikely possibility, it ended up being my best option.” From there, Harris worked in places everywhere from Virginia to Okinawa, and he now looks back at his time in the Marine Corps “…with fondness.”
Cole’s career also lasted over the twenty year requirement to become an instructor, with him becoming a Marine in April of 2003. Cole stated, “I had a three-year window from 18 to 21 where I tried to do what I thought was best for me, and while I was doing okay, I wasn’t happy. I thought, ‘Hey, let’s try this out, and in the worst case scenario, I’ll be able to establish some skills and get strong.” Twenty years later, he has been retired from the Marine Corps for a month and is now, “… looking forward to teaching many cadets how to be better people.”