EHHS Navy JROTC Cadet is top metro cadet of the year

GAINESVILLE - A cadet from East Hall High School's Navy JROTC unit is named the top cadet for the metro Atlanta area for 2009.

Cadet Lt. Eli Martinez was selected as the Outstanding Metro Cadet of the Year on May 7 during the 16th Annual Youth Awards Banquet for the Atlanta Metropolitan Council of the Navy League of the United States. His commander Major Brad McCanna says the award is the first for a cadet from the East Hall High School unit.

Mjr. McCanna said not only is Martinez an outstanding cadet, but also he is an exemplary student and an accomplished athlete. He believes the combination of those qualities led to his selection.

In addition to the award, Martinez was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar in Annapolis, Maryland in June.

Said McCanna, "They can only take 700 or 750 during the summer, so he had to be good enough to be selected for that."

This summer, Martinez will also attend the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Leadership Seminar in Daytona Beach, Florida, along with other top cadets from NJROTC units from the eastern United States.

Cadet Martinez is a junior at East Hall, and according to Major McCanna, he plans to attend the U.S. Naval Academy with the ultimate goal of becoming a fighter pilot.