Albany Middle School Junior Beta Club welcomes new members
Marine colonel offers encouraging words to Albany Middle School Junior Beta Club at induction ceremony
By Jennifer Parks
ALBANY — The objective of Junior Beta Club, in some respects, is similar to the military. No matter what, the objective is to “win to the end.”
Twenty-four students, mostly sixth-graders, were inducted into the Albany Middle School Junior Beta Club on Tuesday with family, friends and classmates present. A member of the Albany military community was also present, offering words of encouragement on how to move forward.
Col. James Carroll, commanding officer of Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, spoke of how determination played a role in where he is today.
During Carroll’s journey to his current rank, he noted others within his influence who also played a role.
“None of that (in my career) would have been possible without the support of my family,” he said.
Carroll’s family includes his wife and two children, who are currently serving in the Navy and Air Force. Before his days in the Marine Corps and raising a family, Carroll said he grew up in a school in which there were a total of 1,000 students in a K-12 facility — considered small compared to many other communities.
“What we had was what you had — a strong (group of) teachers and administrators that wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Carroll said near the end of his talk.
The Corps’ mission, the colonel said, is to win the nation’s battles, make Marines and return quality citizens into the civilian population. Honor is a quality expected of a Marine, along with an uncompromising code of integrity. Courage is also a core value, as it gives the ability to lead by example and make tough decisions.
Commitment is the third characteristic Carroll made note of, as it can allow for the determination to achieve a standard of excellence.
He closed his remarks by recalling an assignment in Afghanistan in 2010 that required the management of about 130 aircraft. His commanding officer there had a motto that has stuck with him: “Win to the end.”
“No matter what unit I go to, I use that as my (motto),” Carroll said.
He said that attitude can play out in the lives of the middle-schoolers through their service to others in the face of adversity, such as a speech they did not think they could deliver or encouraging a peer who is falling behind to keep trying.
“That is winning to the end,” the colonel said.
The new inductees join 42 other members of the club, bringing the total membership to 66 students.
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