-Caveat Lector-
Do you remember how unpopular ROTC was during the
Vietnam era? On some campuses students stormed and
trashed ROTC Offices. Some universities cancelled
their ROTC Programs. The war was so unpopular LBJ's
approval ratings fell off the charts, now Bush's
ratings are setting all-time highs.
What a difference a "terrorist attack" can make.
Nakano
-------------------------------------------------------
Surge in patriotism puts JROTC in different light
By Colleen Pohlig
Seattle Times Eastside bureau
At yesterday's Veterans Day assembly, Skyline High
School students in
Sammamish needed no cue to stand at the first cry of
the trumpet.
In a post-Sept. 11 world, singing a patriotic song,
honoring the flag,
even wearing a Junior ROTC military uniform to class
is no longer
uncool.
"Last year, the assembly didn't mean much, but this
year it was awesome
just to appreciate the meaning of the flag and
national unity," said
sophomore football player Jayce Gutzler.
The event was organized and led by the 39 students in
Skyline's Air
Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, one of
only three Air Force
JROTC programs in the Puget Sound area.
While JROTCs are still few and far between in area
high schools � fewer
than a dozen exist in King, Snohomish and Pierce
counties � how
students perceive military-type programs may be
changing due largely to the
national patriotic mood.
"Other kids used to make fun of our uniforms and the
program, but they
just didn't understand it," said senior cadet David
Sweeney. "Since
September 11 that hasn't happened."
JROTCs, sponsored by four military branches in more
than 700 schools
nationwide, stress leadership, civic duty and
discipline through a mix of
class work and extracurricular activities such as
drill and rifle
teams.
The 85-year-old JROTC program, which fell out of favor
after the
Vietnam War, has been gaining popularity since the
Gulf War, partly because
of ballooning higher-education costs. Students can
receive up to $35,000
a year in college scholarships in exchange for four
years of military
duty.
Even before the terrorist attacks, Congress approved
funding to add
hundreds more JROTC programs nationwide. It's too
early to tell what, if
any, impact Sept. 11 will have on student interest in
the programs.
By 2005, Air Force JROTCs are expected to increase
from 687 programs
today to 975 nationwide, according to Ann Easterling,
spokeswoman for the
Air Force JROTC.
Clad in crisp navy blue and white uniforms, Skyline's
ROTC cadets
captivated their audience at yesterday's assembly with
a ceremonial folding
of the flag, symbolic songs and marches.
Cadets in the program, which started last year, said
their ROTC
participation now seems more relevant to them.
Junior Rachel Kenyon, one of five girls in the
school's program, is the
squadron commander over all the cadets.
"I think the attacks have established more patriotism
in all of us in
ROTC," she said. "And I feel more proud to wear my
uniform around school
because I feel like I'm at least a part of the
struggle in
Afghanistan."
JROTC teacher Lt. Col. Jon Morrow said it's been tough
for the program
to make inroads at Skyline, on the Sammamish Plateau,
partly because of
the school's affluence.
"There is a challenge of being at Skyline and trying
to appeal to
students where 88 percent of them will go off to
college right after they
graduate," Morrow said.
He hopes, through more assemblies, community service
and a visible
presence, to interest other students in the program.
"A lot of people think ROTC is about push-ups and
other things they see
in the movies," Kenyon said. "I hope we can reach out
to other kids and
help the program grow."
Two other Issaquah School District high schools share
a Navy JROTC
program.
Cadets receive elective credit. In the Air Force
JROTC, students and
their teachers discuss everything from science of
flight to the history
of the military to leadership and management
principles.
Enrolling in ROTC does not commit a student to join
the military after
high school, but many are considering military
careers.
While students and teachers participating in JROTC say
it fosters
discipline, self-esteem and civic responsibility,
critics say the program is
a guise for recruiting students into the military and
has no place in
schools.
Morrow disagrees, emphasizing that there is no
pressure for students to
join the military.
"What we offer is an opportunity to excel, to give
them hope that being
excellent in all you do and showing integrity can
result in tangible
benefits, including scholarships and pride," he said.
To view the entire article, go to
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134364751_rotc10m.html
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