Alexander Jordan, 16, of Windham, stood at attention in a parking lot behind Windham High School Monday, dressed in Army fatigues and holding a disabled M-1 Garand rifle.

When asked to state his name, Jordan responded formally.

“My name is Private First Class Jordan, sir,” he said. “First name, Alexander, sir.”

Jordan is one of 15 cadets in the new Windham Platoon, the second platoon established in the last two years by the Maine chapter of the Joint Military Cadets of America, a national nonprofit program for youth aged 11 to 17 supported by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Army Reservea and the National Guard.

The mission of the program, which is based in Minnesota, is to provide a youth military career exploration program that also “nurtures and develops its members into responsible citizens who enjoy and promote a healthy, drug-free, crime-free lifestyle.”

To Cpl. Dan Wirtz, an Army veteran, founder of the Windham Platoon and Windham High School science teacher, Jordan’s formality is a sign that the cadet program is working. Wirtz, who teaches Jordan at the high school, as well, said that part of the cadet program is about teaching kids civil methods of communication and other values.

“It teaches them discipline, it teaches them values that they are not getting at home,” Wirtz said. “One of the things that I like to really instill into the kids is respect for their parents, respect for their elders, being able to talk to everybody – ‘Yes sir, no sir’ – being able to just be a good citizen and be somebody who the other kids look up to.”

On Monday, Jordan and 12 other cadets from both the Windham Platoon and the Portland Platoon, which was established in April 2014, conducted parade rifle training in preparation for their participation in this weekend’s Yarmouth Clam Festival parade. Wirtz and Lt. Paul MacDowell, the founder of the Portland Platoon, looked on, occasionally coaching the cadets drill, sergeant-style.

The clam festival will be the Windham Platoon’s second major public appearance locally. On July 4, the platoon marched in a parade in Hiram. The Windham cadets meet three times a week, for a variety of activities, including physical fitness, parade training, and lessons on land navigation, health issues, current events and the U.S. Constitution.

“A lot of it is the awareness of what the military brings,” MacDowell said. “It’s not a recruiting tool, but it’s to provide exposure to aspects of the military like land navigation, the drill and ceremony, how you address people. Also, it’s knowing about your country, the constitution, patriotism.”

The goal of the cadet program, Wirtz said, is not to pressure children to join the military. Rather, it is to give kids a chance to sample the military life and see if it is right for them.

“We don’t push them to go into military,” he said. “This is kind of a taste of what it’s going to be like and the idea behind it. And some of the kids if they say, ‘Well, I’ve figured out that this is not for me,’ fine, but take the things we’ve taught you and go into life and use them.”

According to Jordan, who wants to enlist in the Marines, the program is a “blast.” Before joining the Windham Platoon, Jordan said, he used to try to prepare for a career in the Marines by playing paintball in the woods.

“I love it,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be in the military and I’ve been trying to get something like this started in this school for a very long time, since I was in freshman year, and I’ve always loved the military.”

For Wirtz, the lessons about civic duty learned in the cadet program can be applied to all facets of life, from the military to high school to their roles in the community.

“When my kids walk through the hallways I’ve instilled in them that we are a community and even just our little corps of cadets, we are here to serve, we are here for service, we are here to help people, no matter what it is, in or out of uniform,” Wirtz said. “When they are walking down the hallways at the high school or walking down the road in their own neighborhood, pick up the trash. If you see someone that needs help, help them – don’t just walk by. That’s what I’ve been trying to get into them is that sense of community, that sense of responsibility for each other.”

Specialist Dylan Petropoulos, 15, of Portland, leads members of the Windham and Portland Joint Military Cadets of America platoons in drill training behind Windham High School. While the 15-cadet Portland Platoon began in April 2014, the Windham Platoon started two months ago. Staff photo by Ezra SilkThirteen members of the Windham and Portland Joint Military Cadets of America platoons conduct drill training behind Windham High School. While the 15-cadet Portland platoon began in April 2014, the Windham platoon started two months ago.Staff photo by Ezra Silk