Walking into the JROTC room, one would see Lt. Col. Charley Walker planning another day of tiring drills and techniques.

Walker bases his tough curriculum on what he learned throughout his 20 years in the Army. He remembers the Army’s strict rules and how they expected the young cadets to act. In JROTC, the students have expectations that they must meet.

“The Army is a very strict corporation that expects the cadets to be well-disciplined and to respect themselves. The mission in JROTC is to motivate the young adults to be better people. JROTC lets the students have opportunities that a regular high school student would not be able to experience,” Walker said.

Walker shares his experiences, good and bad, with his students. He feels that if students know about his experiences, they will be able to make better choices throughout their lives. Walker enjoys helping his students make the transition from being a young adult to being a grown person with many responsibilities.

“Teaching the program allows me to watch the students come in as freshmen and leave as graduating seniors. In helping the cadets plot their career goals, I know that they are more responsible than they were when they first entered my class,” Walker said.

Walker is an inspiration to all of the JROTC students. He received six medals during his Army career. With all of these medals on his plate, Walker inspires the students to work as hard as they can. With his inspiration, the students might be able to win awards just as he did. He received these medals because he demonstrated outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement, he distinguished himself through exceptional duty performance, made himself known by showing meritorious achievement, was in honorable active service, successfully completed initial-entry training and successfully completed overseas tours in Korea and Germany.

“I received the Meritorious Service Ribbon in the third Oak Leaf Cluster (four times), the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Medal and the Overseas Service Medal. I do not wear them anymore but I keep them on display,” Walker said.

Before Walker came to Sparkman, he graduated from the US Army Command and General Staff College, located in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 1984. This college’s mission is to prepare the Army and its’ leaders for war. He took Air Defense and Adjutant General Basic Courses and the Adjutant General Advanced Courses.

“The Air Defense is a branch of the Army that provides low, medium and high altitude air defense to protect the ground forces. Adjutant General is the branch of the Army that provides personnel and administrative support to soldiers. This branch also includes retirees and families as well,” Walker said.

Along with teaching, Walker decided to attend Pepperdine University, located in California, to get a master’s in special education. Walker said that taking this class gave him a better perspective of learning styles.

“I decided to go back to college to earn a master’s in Special Education and while taking this class I learned about the learning disabled. I think everyone should have to take some kind of special education course,” Walker said.

Along with the responsibility of teaching the program, there are many teams involved. Out of seven teams Walker commands two: the rifle team and the PT (physical training) team. He also assists 1st Sgt. Walter Jones with the saber team. The rifle team sets up three different targets at the end of a range and tries to hit the target. The PT team trains all year and competes in the Army Physical Fitness Test where the cadets are expected to complete a two mile run, two minutes of push ups and two minutes of sit ups. The saber team is a ceremonial eleven man team. This team is mainly used during the homecoming game and the Military Ball.

“I get a satisfaction from teaching and helping them learn a new skill. I motivate them to put time, effort and sacrifice to accomplish a goal,” Walker said.

The preparation for this year’s Military Ball, a tradition 13 years running, is way ahead of schedule. During the ball, the cadets are recognized for their hard work and dedication. The ball has a formal setting and gives the cadets the opportunity to invite a date and dance the night away. The Military Ball, held at the Officer’s Club on the Redstone Arsenal, offers food, a set agenda and a disc jockey.

“To the seniors, the ball is like their prom. It gives the cadets a chance to be in a formal setting. For some of the cadets, the ball is the only chance they will get to be in a formal setting with friends,” Walker said.

In the JROTC program, Walker goes by the motto “Train the trainers.” The way he teaches the program comes completely from this. Walker strongly believes this because it has worked for 13 years.

“I remember the motto ‘Train the trainers.’ For example, the Let 4’s teach the Let 3’s and so on. This has worked for so long, I do not see why I should change it now,” Walker said.

Some of the students have been with Walker for their entire high school career. All of the students agree that Walker is an amazing teacher and look up to him for guidance. Most students believe that he is not too strict but that he does expect the best from them.

“I look up to Walker as a good officer. He has inspired me to pursue a military career. He has showed me the difference between officers and non-commission officers. He expects a certain amount of work and leadership out of the upperclassmen. Being an upperclassman has a lot of responsibility. He expects us to guide the underclassmen to be the best they can be,” junior Adam Reier said.