Christian brothers college (CBC)

Cadet Lt. Col- Jordan B. Smith Jr.

Extracts from Chapter 3 - Mindset

As a freshman cadet, I was fixated upon the Brigade Adjutant position during the weekly parades.  I would dream about one day giving the commands during a dress parade.  I use to practice every command in my dreams. I continued to have a vision about the ceremony and I immediately set my four-year goal of becoming the Brigade Adjutant.  The Brigade Adjutant was the person in charge who gave most of the commands during each of the weekly parades during the school dress parade season. The Brigade Adjutant would march alone from one end of the field to a position near the band and give the commands “Sound Attention,” “Sound Adjutant’s Call.”  The Cadet brigade would march and take their places on the parade field.  Once the brigade was in place, the adjutant would step rapidly alone to a position centered in front of the brigade staff, execute an "about face", and then issue the command “Band Sound Off.”  The majority of commands collecting the reports and the execution of the manual of arms for the brigade was given by the adjutant.  I would dream about doing this each and every night for three years. 

When I was asked during the summer of 1971 what position I wanted to be from the Senior Military Instructor; my immediate response was I wanted to become the Brigade Adjutant.  I had no idea until years later that I could have become the first Black Brigade Commander at CBC High School because my focus was on being the Adjutant.  

In retrospect in reading this section of the book once again I find that I was a pacesetter back in 1972 opening doors for other minorities to enter CBC.  My abilities and work ethics proved the knaves wrong abut the limitations and capabilities of African American men in 1972.  My younger brother had a mission and vision also to simply out perform all of my accomplishments and this became a reality in 1976