The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.
According to Title 10, Section 2031 of the United States Code, the purpose of JROTC is “to instill in students secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment.”
There are a total of 3,229 units in the United States, with 1555 Army (AJROTC) units, 794 Air Force (AFJROTC) units, 619 Navy (NJROTC) units, 260 Marine Corps (MCJROTC) units, and one Coast guard (CGJROTC) unit. An AJROTC unit finds its home in Warrior Hall at Seminole High School and helps to provide students with a sense of discipline and responsibility.
According to ROTC member and junior Alexander Kersey, all it takes to join ROTC is to “sign up for the class, but you should have the respect to wear the US Air Force uniform.” Indeed, respect is a big part of JROTC programs around the country and in Seminole High School.
Respect must be had by both the leaders of the program at Seminole High, Colonel Gibson and Sergeant Smith, and those involved. In ROTC, students learn how to drill, wear a military dress uniform properly, and learn about different aspects of the Air Force such as ranks and military experience.
Freshman Harry Loames said, “They do great work outside the community and are a pretty good way of giving kids discipline.”
The ROTC class is not necessarily hard in terms of grades. All that is required is dressing up on Wednesday and Friday, participating in class, and behaving properly.
The fun part of ROTC, according to senior Asher Chou, is “the drill, saber, rifle teams, color guards…and events.” He said, “[p]articipation at these events is what makes ROTC come to life.”
In addition to working with students about the military, AFROTC assists the Salvation Army, graduation, activities in the mall, and other events such as a color guard banquet. The ROTC may best be known for their work with Seminole High School’s food pantry. For that event, the AFROTC collected canned goods from students and faculty around the school to help feed the hungry.
There are a variety of reasons as to why people join the AFROTC. Many are in it for a sense of discipline and responsibility that they cannot otherwise learn in a non-military setting.
For example, Kersey joined the team in order “to better my understanding of the military and to understand a goal of joining the Air Force after high school.”
Joining AFROTC also gives scholastic opportunities to students seeking to enter college. According to the AFROTC website, Air Force ROTC can help overcome the financial hardships associated with college, guaranteeing a job in the military after a degree is completed. While in college, members can also join the regular ROTC, which can allow a member to join the military as a commissioned officer, a great career for any aspiring cadet.
The ROTC certainly provides an interesting perspective during the high school years that is unmatched by any other program. Nowhere else is there such total immersion in a class that provides discipline, respect, and a sense of purpose. Joining AFROTC makes sense for just about any student, whether they are interested in the Armed Forces or not.