Retired U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William Neill is a Middle Township High School alumnus who served in the Marine Corps for eight years.
L-R: NNDCC cadets Katie Grayson (junior), Robert Walker (sophomore), Brett Mikolajczyk (sophomore), and Troy Perkings (junior), alongside senior Sean Brannon and NNDCC Senior Instructor/Retired U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William Neill.
Cape May Court House, NJ – Middle Township High School’s (MTHS) Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) welcomes a familiar face as their new Senior Instructor, Retired U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William Neill.
Neill is a Middle Township alumnus, class of 2016. He often says he wished that MTHS had this type of program back when he went to high school. The NNDCC is currently in its fourth year with Retired Lieutenant Commander Susan Blood leading the effort in teaching students the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) curriculum since 2019.
“I’m so impressed with what Lieutenant Commander Blood has done and how she’s shaped this program,” said Neill. “I can tell you firsthand that having the opportunity to get a jump start on my military career while in high school would have been incredibly beneficial for me, so I’m excited to help provide that to other students, knowing what I know now.”
This year, the MTHS NNDCC unit is made up of 55 cadets, compared to the roughly 30 cadets the unit has had in the past four years. Having a larger unit allows more cadets to serve in leadership positions, allows the unit to be more competitive against larger NJROTC units at the various meets (Air Rifle, Drill, Orienteering, Academic, Athletic, CyberPatriot, Drone), and will allow the unit to serve more community service hours than in the past. The unit of 25 cadets completed 698 Community Service hours last year. New to the 2023-2024 school year, interested Middle Township Middle School (MTMS) eighth graders can spend their “Panther Block,” a period of time used for electives, to spend time with the cadets to get a more in-depth look at the program before committing the following year.
“As Susan transitions out of this role, we’re all grateful to know she’ll be leaving the cadets and the program in such good hands. Will is more than prepared to fill Susan’s big shoes,” said MTHS Principal Sharon Rementer. “I’ve watched the cadets grow as the program grows, and it’s truly remarkable how far they’ve already come in four short years.”
Neill enlisted in the Marine Corps during his junior year at MTHS under the Delayed Entry Program and, upon high school graduation, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for the next eight years. His first tour was in Camp Lejeune at USMC Special Operations Command, home of the Marine Raider.
Neill’s second tour was in Massachusetts as a Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO), serving as the uniformed Marine who is responsible for providing an in-person notification in cases of deceased or missing Marines. Following notification, CACOs assist the next of kin with burial arrangements, applications for benefits and entitlements, contact with benevolent and philanthropic organizations, obtaining reports of investigation, as well as other pertinent issues. During both of his tours, Neill was in charge of training the Honor Guard at his units for funerals, memorial services, dedication ceremonies, parades and other civic occasions.
His rating is Administrative Specialist, requiring him to perform office management, clerical, personnel and administrative duties at his units. His Marine Corps experiences as a Marine Raider, an expert in military protocol and an administrative specialist, prepared him well to take over MTHS NNDCC in September 2023.
To learn more, go to highschool.middletownshippublicschools.org/mths-nndcc-njrotc.