STUDENTS GLAD THAT THEY JOINED JROTC
Students in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps look like most Army cadets: strict, disciplined and highly trained. Their uniforms are wrinkle-free, and they stand up straight.
Y-Press recently interviewed four cadets in the Army JROTC program at Tech High School. They turned out to be normal teens, very nice and funny. Seniors Stephanie McDowell and Ian Gore and Juniors Kelly Morgan and David Ploog all enjoy the military and plan to go on to college or, in Ian's case, a military academy.
JROTC is an elective course in high schools. There are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps programs and all promote citizenship in high school students. Students learn communication, teamwork, discipline and leadership skills and receive career guidance.
The JROTC program at Tech meets daily and also offers after-school activities, such as a drill team and color guards, a rifle team and the Raiders -- a physical training program. Military service is not required.
Why they joined
DAVID: Ever since I was a little kid, I've always enjoyed the military. I just wanted to be a part of it.
KELLY : The thing that inspired me to join JROTC was I'd seen everybody walking around in their uniforms, and they looked so cool. I also knew that it might help me out later on in life.
IAN: It was something different, and I knew it was gonna be able to help me out later in life. And I liked the uniform.
STEPHANIE: Basically, I come from a family full of military people, and it's always been a part of my life. Plus, it offers a lot of scholarships.
Staying committed
STEPHANIE: The element that has kept me in JROTC is the discipline and the fact that they teach you how to be a leader.
KELLY: I thought about quitting once, my sophomore year, because I was just acting real dumb that year. My dad made me stay.
The element that kept me in was that you have a lot of fun. You meet a lot of cool people, and you talk to all of the recruiters that come in, and that's fun.
IAN: I've thought about quitting a couple of times. Sometimes it can get a little boring. What keeps me in the program is it's a lot of fun. You get to meet a lot of people.
DAVID: I've never ever thought about quitting. You have to stay in it to learn more. One thing I would change about the program is instead of having just one period in the classroom, have it a full day. I really like this program. . . . I think there should be more time.
Effect on them
STEPHANIE: It's given me the discipline, and it's given me initiative. It's encouraged me to do different things and to go out and challenge myself to do more and be better and actually be somebody.
IAN: I think it's kind of changed some of my goals in life. I didn't really consider too much being in the military until I got into ROTC and saw what it was like. JROTC is probably my favorite class.
DAVID: The hardest challenge for me is to go up the ladder of success and getting through the crowd at the bottom. When I first started, there were so many other good cadets that I had to push forward and be better. I'm still kind of in that challenge.
Changes at school
KELLY: My freshman year, I wanted to skip, and that's bad. Then I joined JROTC and I got taught discipline. It has changed my life completely. I wasn't really into the program at first. . . . But now that I've actually got to communicate with the first sergeants and majors, I like it a lot more.
DAVID: This has affected my school life a lot. Going through elementary school and stuff, I was average. But now since I'm in the ROTC program, I actually have something to aim for and I'm making a lot better grades.
IAN: It teaches you things like time management that are going to benefit you throughout school, as far as like doing your homework. As far as socially, you get to meet friends a lot faster, especially when you're a freshman.
STEPHANIE: Like my freshman year and sophomore years at this school, ROTC basically was my school life.
Discipline
STEPHANIE: I had a problem with authority, and so overcoming that has been my challenge. The instructors are real lenient with us compared to what I've seen in some other programs. Basically, if you do what you're told and you're on time, I mean you do what you know is right, then you're fine.
DAVID: The instructors are like any other teachers that you've ever had. If you do a bad thing, well of course they're going to correct you. They might make you do 25 pushups, (which) helps your physical fitness and your discipline, 'cause not everybody likes pushups. So that's what you're scared of.
IAN : There are some similarities with boot camp. Boot camp is gonna teach you teamwork and stuff. But boot camp is training to turn a citizen into a soldier. ROTC is meant to make you a better citizen.
Recommendations
STEPHANIE: ROTC is there for you. They teach you so many different things. They teach you how to pay attention to details. They teach you leadership skills so that you know how to get along later in life. I don't know what I'd do without ROTC.
DAVID: I would strongly encourage anyone to join the JROTC program. It affects your life so much, but you really don't know it. It teaches you right from wrong, and basically that's what gets you through life, when you know right from wrong.
IAN: There is no obligation to go into the military, and it's going to teach you a lot of things that are going to be of benefit: communication skills, leadership, discipline, teamwork. All that stuff is going to benefit you in life.
REPORTERS : Christine Beyer, 11; Andrea Phillips, 12; Zach Tuchman, 12; and Evan Daniluck, 13.