Athens State’s annual Flag Day Ceremony and cookout is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 at 12:00 pm in the Sandridge Student Center Ballroom. The event honors the United States flag and our nation’s armed forces, past and present. Chief James L. Chambers will be this year’s guest speaker.
The Athens High School Junior ROTC will present the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance, and music will be provided by the Athens State Community Band. In addition, representatives of the John Wade Keyes Chapter of DAR will distribute information about the flag. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
Chief James L. Chambers is the Director and Senior Army Instructor of the Athens High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program where he has served for 11 years. He is responsible for coaching and mentoring the cadets in his battalion while assisting them in making career choices and discovering college scholarship opportunities. He reinforces the U.S. Army JROTC mission, which is to motivate young people to be better citizens. He previously served as the Deputy Director of the Warrant Officer Training Division at Redstone Arsenal.
Chief Chambers was born in Gretna, Virginia and began his Army career in 1985 as an Electronic Calibration Specialist. He received his Warrant Officer Appointment in 1998 at Fort Rucker, Alabama and has held a variety of stateside and overseas assignments during his 26 years Army career. His combat deployments include Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm with the 521st Maintenance Company from Wiesbaden, Germany and Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Battalion Maintenance Officer for the 1-58th Aviation (Air Traffic Services) from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Chief Chambers holds an undergraduate degree in Technology Management from Excelsior College and a Master’s Degree in Education from Fort Hays State University. Among his numerous military awards and decorations is the Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal. In 2017, he received the National Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year Award. In 2018, Chief Chambers was recognized as Limestone County Chamber of Commerce Public Servant of the Year. In 2020, he was also selected as Athens High School’s Teacher of the Year.
Chief Chambers has been married for 30 years to his wife Angela and they have two daughters: Jasmine (29) and Jade (27).
This event is sponsored by the Athens State University Alumni Association. For more information, please contact University Advancement at advancement@athens.edu or 256-233-8215.