Known as Lieutenant Colonel Rue, as servicemen would call him, Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Corps (AFJROTC) Michael Rue is in his first year teaching at CHS with 27 ½ years of military experience under his belt. First commissioned in 1993, Lt Col Rue worked in the intelligence field.
“I’ve worked with many aircraft in this profession, such as the U-2 aircraft,” Rue said. “I’ve also worked with exploitation of imagery intelligence, from the unmanned aerial vehicle called Predator. I’ve worked with quality people on quality missions and defending our countries from foreign and domestic affairs.”
Alongside aircraft, Rue tackled many career broadening assignments, such as becoming a Senior Defense Official, Defense Attaché in the military. During a diverse range of missions, Rue was stationed in countries around the globe. One of which was working in the U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali— the country’s capital.
“My wife and I love to travel, so why not have the military move us there and have the chance to experience an amazing culture,” Rue said. “Traveling in general, helped me open up my aperture for new things and new ideas. It gives you that appreciation about what’s different. difference is good; it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”
After retiring from the military in 2021, Rue became a government contractor at the Department of Defense (DOD) headquarters. He worked at the Pentagon, the world’s second-largest office building.
“At the Pentagon, there were all the secretaries for the Air Force and Navy in this big giant building,” Rue said. “I got to work with all the big wigs for the DOD; it was an amazing experience to work there for several years.”
As Rue transitions into the 2024-2025 school year with his government and military achievements, he continues to serve his community in the AFJROTC classroom. Being his first time teaching at the high school level, Rue relies on his Air Force experience to translate over to skills in teaching the cadets.
“In the military, there’s an official relationship with somebody called a mentor,” Rue said. “I’ve had great mentors in my military career, which I’ve utilized that relationship of ‘what did they help teach me’. It influenced my career, and I used that skill set with the high school cadets.”
Rue works with and relies upon Chief Al Clemmons to run the AFJROTC program. In this elective, Rue says students come in with a willingness to join the class, which he uses to emphasize mentorship and citizens of character to run the program.
“The Air Force helped me baseline the skills of communicating, attention to detail, service before self and excellence in what we do,” Rue said. “I want to pass that down to the students and cadets; mentorship is a kind of relationship that one would have to want from both sides. It’s kind of a handshake and I love that.”
