Crone Foundation provides new JROTC obstacle course

     The Stephens County High School JROTC program celebrated the opening and dedication of a new obstacle course on Thursday, April 14.
     The course will be used by JROTC students to train for competitions.
    The Stephens JROTC dedicated the course to the late John Crone, who had served as a major in the U.S. Army.
     JROTC LTC (Ret) Senior Army Instructor David Priatko said construction on the course began in August, 2021, but was some six years in its realization.
      Priatko said that in 2016, he met Crone’s brother, Bob, by chance while shopping at the local Walmart.
     The two began a rapport that continued through the ensuing years.
     Priatko said the JROTC program here began in 2008, and the obstacle course in use at the time was “rudimentary” consisting of only three obstacles that had, through time, become worn down.
      In later conversations with Bob Crone, Priatko said Bob, through the Crone Foundation, donated $25,000 of which some $20,000 was used to build the new obstacle course with $5,000 dedicated to maintaining it.
       Priatko spoke about John Crone and the monument at last Thursday’s ceremony.
     “Maj. Crone’s legacy is one of service and conviction. The life he lived was a testament to that legacy.  John A. Crone was born in Dectur, Ala. Sept. 28, 1967 and he passed away at the age of 45 on April 13, 2013. His life, simply described, was one of exemplary service. Maj. Crone attended The Citadel, a life changing experience,” Priatko said.
     “He was commissioned as a field artillery officer and assigned to the 11th Armored Calvery Regiment following his graduation in 1990.  During his military career, he served in a variety of duty positions, that included service in field artillery units equipped with M109 Paladins, multi-launch rocket systems known as MLRS, as well as counter battery units,” Priatko said.
    “He participated in the First Gulf War, Operations in Bosnia,  and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his last unit of service was the 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Brigade,” he said.
     “Maj. Crone’s service in the civilian sector was equally impressive and selfless. As the Indiana field representative for the National Rifle Association he raised funds to support youth shooting programs as well as gun safety programs. He was an avid hunter and shooting sports competitor and he was also a member of the Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, and was a member of American Legion Post 118 in Danville, Ind.,” Priatko said.
     “Maj. Crone was not only a man of service, but he was also a man of conviction. This was evidenced time and time again by the way he lived his life. Back in 2020 Mr. Crone shared with me just one example of Maj. Crone’s strong sense of conviction,” Priatko said.
      “I do not think Mr. Crone will mind me sharing this with you because it accurately and positively captures the essence of Maj. Crone and who he was as a man. This is Mr. Crone’s written account of an NRA event he attended with his brother John in Philadelphia in 1998,” Priatko said.
     “I’ll never forget being at an NRA black-tie dinner event in Philadelphia in 1998. He had his dress blues on, etc. salads were served and the pre-speaker speaker was a little long-winded that delayed the Pledge of Allegiance and meal blessing. Our table of eight slowly started to eat except John. I told him he should start eating before the servers came back around. His quote was ‘my parents paid $40,000 to educate and train me to do what’s right and I’m not going to eat until the man prays!” And he didn’t!’”   
      “That anecdote is clearly representative of how Maj. Crone lived a life of conviction and his life’s record of service tells its own story of devotion,” Priatko said.
     “The mission of JROTC is to motivate young people to be better citizens, the type of citizenship Maj. Crone exemplified. It is only fitting that today we dedicate this monument and our obstacle course to honor the legacy, and memory, of a man who was a sterling example of citizenship,” Priatko said.
      “Each time our cadets use this course to facilitate their development to become better citizens, this monument will serve as a reminder of Maj. Crone’s selfless service to our great nation, and it will serve to inspire future generations of young Americans,” Priatko said.
     Priatko also praised the assistance of the many local businesses, school staff, and students who helped in making the new obstacle course a reality.