The JROTC Program

This year marks the 100th year anniversary of the Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps program. With more than 3,230 JROTC programs world wide, 314,000 Cadets, 4,000 Instructors, and thousands of advocates, the JROTC program institutes character education, the value of citizenship, student leadership, community service, diversity, and giving back to others. I will be reviewing the historical events that contributed to the founding of the JROTC program, how the curriculum has evolved to its present day standing, and finally, the portrayal of what this program may have to offer 100 years into the future.

The ancient Greeks are known as the first to incorporate military training into adolescence schooling. The movement of goods, ideas, and peoples

At this point in time, JROTC programs are found in all 50 states and even in overseas American schools. The main focus when the curriculum was first established was to prepare high school boys mentally and physically for joining the U.S. Army as enlisted soldiers. Today, men and women are permitted and encouraged to join the program. The mission statement of the present day course is: “to motivate young people to be better citizens.” Even though this mission has not really changed over the years, the program has gained more depth to it. The course teaches the cadets, in many forms, the importance of good citizenship and the qualities a good citizen possesses. For example, we learn self-discipline by taking responsibility in a leadership position all while instilling a sense of self esteem. Even to this day the JROTC program continues to expand and

Not only has the progression of the program excelled throughout the century, but it has also flourished in constructing the lives of those who are a part of it. I can only imagine what the next 100 years will bring to the course. However, using my previous knowledge of how this program has progressed, I can infer the future of the curriculum will continue to prosper . As the future approaches, new standards will be applied to make the course more rigorous for every new cadet. Young cadets will be faced with new challenges and lessons that my generation will wish we had. Technology will improve and the program will be provided with high tech gear. As acts of terrorism in the United States increase, cadets could be trained to professionally respond to such events. As of now, there are Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine ROTC’s across the nation; a part of the curriculum is learning the customs of that certain branch. In the future, I can imagine the course extending to all branches and teaching the basics of each to ensure a better understanding of the entire U.S. military. New skills such as first aid and land navigation should be added to the curriculum instead of a chapter we read from the textbook. There is no doubt that time will only benefit this program and the cadets of the future. We need to make a daily effort to make our plans for the future a reality to ensure a brighter future for the cadets to