A final salute

CCHS Senior Army Instructor Lieutenant

Colonel William “David” McMickle is retiring after instructing at CCHS for 16 years, leaving behind a JROTC program shaped by his strong leadership.

STORY AND LAYOUT BY CADENCE SCHAPKER News Editor

In passing, Clarke Central High School students may see CCHS Senior Army Instructor Lieutenant Colonel William “David” McMickle as an intimidating military man, but non-cadets rarely see the soft-hearted side of the retired veteran who built the JROTC program to what it is today.

McMickle served in multiple aviation management and operation positions as a Lieutenant Colonel throughout three decades of service with the United States Army. After instructing at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 2003 to 2005, he later retired from active duty and started working at CCHS in 2007.

“I was very frustrated my first couple years here. The uniform was not respected (and the stigma around JROTC) was, ‘Oh you couldn't do anything else so you went into the military,’” McMickle said. “No, I’m a very educated man and a very smart guy, (but) sometimes (the University of Georgia) and Athens can be overbearing when it comes to educational speak.”

McMickle aspired to build the program, but quickly realized he would have to change his teaching approach to appeal to his younger demographic.

“I came in here and I wanted to lead (the JROTC program) like the military, and I had to step back and realize that these were 14 to 18 year old minds,” McMickle said. “My own kids struggled with a lot of the same stuff that my students struggle with, my youngest son has ADHD. He had an IEP (and) I had to learn how to accommodate him at home, so it made me very sympathetic.”

McMickle recognized that he needed to engage his students through a healthy balance of discipline and fun, as he’d learned from his own upbringing.

“(My dad) showed me you gotta have a good time doing what you're doin’. I never acted any differently around my dad than I would if (he) wasn't there,” McMickle said. “My mom, on the other hand, (was a) very focused woman. She showed me what love is and it's not always fun, it's not always glamorous. Sometimes it's just hard as heck.”

Through his re-thought approach, McMickle built a community that attracted all types of students to the program.

“If you walk out to JROTC at Clarke Central High School, I would be willing to wager that it is one of the most diverse groups on campus: racially, gender-wise, socio-economic. It runs the gamut,” longtime friend and JROTC affiliate CJ Amason said. “(The students) work together toward a common goal, (and) that is a direct result of Colonel McMickle's efforts over the past 16 years.”

CCHS Class of 2016 alumna Fajr DeLane started with the JROTC program as a cadet private in her sophomore year and graduated as Battalion Commander.

She remembers the care McMickle put into leading the students.

“He is a pivotal Colonel. The most genuine, loving (person and) somebody who really loves and cares about Clarke Central students,” DeLane said. “What struck me about his leadership was how he believed in us because as much as I may have doubted myself, he made it known that you can do it, even if you think you can’t.” wonderful. The three of them are the perfect team,” Amason said. “But (McMickle) is so humble. He'll give them all the credit, and he is the driving force behind (the program) and he is why (the program is) so good today. He has set the tone.”

McMickle’s wife, Beth McMickle, moved to Florida for her own retirement in 2020 and he plans to re-join her down south and see out his retirement alongside her. Though Current Battalion Commander Karla Pastor is happy for McMickle, she has concerns for the program's leadership after he leaves.

“He's been a very big role model in the ROTC program (and) I'm excited for him in his retirement. But I'm also nervous to see how the ROTC program will run after his retirement because he made the program what it is today,” Pastor said.

While his peers and cadets insist that his impact on the JROTC program has been significant, Amason believes McMickle deserves more credit than he is willing to give himself.

Despite concerns for the loss of an integral leader, McMickle has high expectations for the future of the program and its students.

“I hope that whoever follows me in this position takes the program to the next level,” McMickle said. “Cause it's not about me, it's about the program continuing to grow and I'm OK with that. Matter of fact, that's what I want. So I don't know if I have a legacy except that I was here for 16 years and I did the best I could with what I had in the time frame and with where I was.”

With McMickle’s last day being May 30, CCHS Principal Dr. Swade Huff is prepared to offer his well wishes to Colonel as he embarks on a new chapter of his life.

“That JROTC program is second to none, (and) that's because of Colonel McMickle,” Huff said. “He’s going to be missed and he sacrificed a lot. His wife moved to Florida a couple years ago, so for him to stay here, that says a lot (about) his commitment to Clarke Central. But I've always learned that you enjoy people while you can and then you tell them thank you. So at the end of the day, when he decides to roll out, we'd have to say thank you.”

Right: PAST CADETS: Former Clarke Central High School JROTC cadets Chiquita Walker and Fajr DeLane, CCHS Senior Army Instructor Lieutenant Colonel William “David” McMickle and former CCHS JROTC cadet Kaitlyn Hooker (from left to right) pose for a photo in February 2021. DeLane graduated in 2016 as Battalion Commander and looked back on her time under McMickle’s leadership. “I feel like for Colonel, he plant seeds where sometimes when you’re in high school, you may not understand all the way, but once you get out of high school, some of the things he’s told us will start to make sense,” DeLane said. Photo courtesy of David McMickle

Featured: HIS SONS: Clarke Central High School

Senior Army Instructor Lieutenant Colonel William “David” McMickle smiles with his sons, Chris and Josh, in 2003. When McMickle entered his career in high school education he had two sons of similar ages to his students, offering him a different perspective as he approached teaching. “My own kids struggled with a lot of the same stuff that my students struggle with,” McMickle said. “My youngest son ADHD (and) he had an IEP (and) I had learn how to accommodate him at home, so it made me very sympathetic.” Photo courtesy of David McMickle