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The United States Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) came
into being with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. Under the
provisions of the Act, high schools were authorized the loan of federal
military equipment and the assignment of active duty military personnel as
instructors. There was a condition that the instructors follow a prescribed
course of training and maintain a minimum enrollment of 100 students over
the age of 14 years who were US citizens. In 1964, the Vitalization Act
opened JROTC up to the other services and replaced most of the active duty
instructors with retirees who worked for and were cost shared by the
schools. Title 10 of the U.S. Code declares that "the purpose of Junior
Reserve Officers' Training Corps is to instill in students in United States
secondary educational institutions the value of citizenship, service to the
United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment."
The JROTC Program has changed greatly over the years. Once looked upon
primarily as a source of enlisted recruits and officer candidates, it became
a citizenship program devoted to the moral, physical and educational uplift
of American youth. Although the program retained its military structure and
the resultant ability to infuse in its student cadets a sense of discipline
and order, it shed most of its early military content.
The study of ethics, citizenship, communications, leadership, life skills
and other subjects designed to prepare young men and woman to take their
place in adult society, evolved as the core of the program. More recently,
an improved student centered curriculum focusing on character building and
civic responsibility is being presented in every JROTC classroom.
JROTC is a continuing success story. From a modest beginning of 6 units
in 1916, JROTC has expanded to 1555 schools today and to every state in the
nation and American schools overseas. Cadet enrollment has grown to 273,000
cadets with 3,900 professional instructors in the classrooms. Comprised
solely of active duty Army retirees, the JROTC instructors serve as mentors
developing the outstanding young citizens of our country. |
