Battalion Master At Arms OIC
c/1LT Holt, Maddilyn
Hey guys, I’m Maddilyn Holt (you can call me Maddie or Holt), the MAA OIC (Master at Arms Officer in Charge) for the 2023-2024 school year. I work with my fellow Master at Arms, Robles, to help assist all drill teams with the sharpness and correctness of drill movements performed by the team members, to maintain accountability and security of rifles, archery equipment, and sabers with S2, assist team commanders with the repair and good condition of equipment, to keep track of the participants in flag detail, and to assist in uniform inspections. As Masters at Arms, Robles and I have to be familiar TC 3-21.5, proficient in drill and ceremony, and uniforms too.
Outside of JROTC, My extracurriculars are Brazilian jiu jitsu and dance cardio. When I am not busy, you may find me at a boba place with the other JROTC staff, doing art, baking, reading, walking, singing, or overthinking. I like to listen to music- jazz, The 1975, and miscellaneous artists. My favorite JROTC events are cadet ball, and JCLC (but I will be truthful and say I love all of them). I like to experiment with fashion, so you might catch me pondering about what I am going to wear the next day. I also like to experiment with baking, so if you happen to join the staff team you may wind up trying some interesting baked goods.
JROTC Career
My JROTC career has been a wild and fun ride. The first leadership position I got was in my
freshman year, and was the position of squad leader, I believe, (in Charlie company) and I didn’t
feel very confident or knowledgeable about what I was doing. Then, I got either platoon leader
or company commander that same semester. The next semester, I got a company commander
position in Charlie company again. The first time I got company commander and/or platoon
leader, some failures I had as a leader were not being loud enough when I gave commands,
and being too soft and lenient with unruly and disrespectful cadets. Even as a CO in my second
semester of my freshman year, I still had trouble with disciplining and keeping track of the
behavior of unruly cadets. However, a success that I had as a leader was having improved in
sounding off, and was having improved at calling out cadets who were not following instructions.
Because I had more experience leading, I felt more comfortable and confident in my abilities to
lead, which helped me, and was a success in itself. The experiences from my JROTC career
have made me feel more confident in myself, and helped me get out of my comfort zone.
Whether it was being yelled at by a drill instructor at a scary inspection before my first armed
drill competition, or leading a company with some crazy cadets with little ability to discipline
others, in JROTC I would often find myself outside of my comfort zone, which allowed me to
grow as a leader, and as a human being. On top of my experiences in JROTC helping me to
grow, I found a deep, strong, community in the program, a community of loving, caring, helpful
individuals that I did not have before I joined JROTC.
Academics
My journey through school has overall been pretty good. I have most always sustained good
grades throughout my educational career, and have mostly felt that my classes have always
been pretty easy to get good grades in. Throughout my education I have just tried to pay
attention, give my assignments my best shot, and be a decent student and colleague to those
around me, and that has brought me success. Online school took place during COVID for some
of my 6th grade and 7th grade years, which was strange. It was isolating, not being able to meet
new people and make friends, and not being able to be in a normal school environment.
During that time, I believe my grades were decent and I did not face too much hardship where grades
were concerned. After online school was not happening, things started to look up for me, and I
made friends and enjoyed aspects of my classes for the rest of middle school. High school has
been the highlight of my school journey, as I have made some amazing friends with a lot of
people, and I am understanding the material I’m learning. During freshman year, I received
honor roll each quarter/semester, and enjoyed my school days. This year, I hope to continue to
sustain good grades, enjoy my classes, and enjoy my friends and ROTC.
Awards and Decoration
a certificate and a ribbon of good conduct (May
28th, 2023), a certificate and a ribbon of leadership (May 28th, 2023), a medal and certificate of
excellence award (May 20th, 2023), a JROTC medal of merit presented to me by the Military
Order of the World Wars (May 20th, 2023), a medal for getting second place in a brigade best
drilled squad competition (Jan 21, 2023), a ribbon for being on the armed drill team (Dec
12,2022), a ribbon for being on the regulation drill team (Jan 25, 2023), and an LET 1 level
ribbon (Sep 23, 2022).
Other Achievements
An achievement that I have accomplished is the time that I choreographed and performed my
own aerial silks routine, at a winter showcase, when I lived in Alaska. The date of that achievement was December 2019. Another notable accomplishment I have is having started a
baking small business, and getting hired for a wedding, birthdays, a baby shower, and other
special events. The date of this accomplishment is the summer of 2021