Veteran Service, Lt. Col. Eric Brewington

JROTC LEADER OFFERS DISCIPLINE, LIFE SKILLS TO SOUTH JOHNSTON STUDENTS

By Randy Capps

South Johnston's gym was filled with parents, teachers and students for an awards celebration near the end of the school year, where teachers honored students for high achievement in their classes.

During the festivities, Lt. Col. Eric Brewington, the leader of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) at the school and clad in a crisp Air Force dress uniform, took his turn at the podium.

He called up a couple of his students to receive awards and, though they weren't in uniform, each stopped and offered a salute before accepting.

It was a small gesture, but one that speaks to the relationship between Brewington and his students. That bond has earned him distinction as the 2019 Johnston Now Honors Veteran Service Award winner.

Born in Pembroke, Brewington was himself an Army JROTC member at West Robeson High.

He went on to earn a history degree from UNC Pembroke and have a 22-year career in the Air Force. During that time, he held several leadership posts and had deployments to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I spent my life around aircraft,” he said. “I wanted to fly. Thought I was going to fly, but when I first came in, we had more pilots than airplanes right after Desert Shield/Desert Storm. … I got persuaded into Special Ops, and fell in love with that mission.”

Brewington and his wife, Mary Jane, moved to the area when Dr. Eddie Price hired him to lead the “Trojan Cadets” in 2014, but the idea he might want to work with young people was born much earlier in his career.

“I was a squadron commander and we had some new airmen coming in,” he said. “As the airmen came in, there's paperwork to fill out and they meet the commander and we talk. There was a kid who couldn't sign his name in cursive. And I told him what time to be there, and he had a little trouble. If it was a digital clock, he was OK. If it was an analog clock, he couldn't read it.

“I realized that there was something wrong with this picture. This kid was smart. He just had never been taught (those things). It may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but this is what we use a lot of. We taught him a few things.”

That experience, and some friendly advice from a colonel, led Brewington to the JROTC.

“Once I started meeting kids, that's what got me hooked,” he said. “What it's for is to create better citizens, stronger Americans, and help them appreciate what it is that we have here. The opportunities you have here aren't everywhere. Most people don't understand that. They think the rest of the world is just like us. We truly are the top. You can't get any better than the blessings we have here.

“We want to the get the best out of the kid. Let them see that you have all these opportunities. The only thing stopping you is your imagination and your desire to succeed. Go for it. Whatever it is, go for it.”

Many people are critical of the next generation, but Brewington has a far different opinion of his cadets.

“I don't really see them as students,” he said. “I have to remind myself that they are students. I see them as young adults. I always tell them at the very beginning that I'll treat you like a young adult until you teach me differently. … It's hard to explain. I see the potential in what they can be. It amazes me, because these kids can do so much. Me at that age, I was nowhere near the caliber of kid I'm seeing coming through. … Just the fact that they're trying something out of their comfort zone is something I'm in awe of.”

Although it's an Air Force program, Brewington tailors the curriculum to be applicable to all branches of service — and life outside the military as well.

“It's an Air Force JROTC unit, and the history of what we study is primarily Air Force,” he said. “But the leadership aspect of it, I try to keep it (Department of Defense), in case they want to go Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. In fact, when they learn ranks, we start off with their ranks in JROTC. Then, we go Air Force. Then, I'm teaching (the other branches' ranks).”

The program also emphasizes real world skills, like leadership and preparing for college and job interviews.

“I believe what we're offering here at South is working,” he said.

If his cadets are any indication, he's right.