COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: JROTC/ROTC
JROTC Costs More than Military Says
Kelly Prentice, Easton Express-Times
May 1, 2006
The March 5 article by Precious Petty, "Cadets praise ROTC", fails toillustrate the true cost of bringing JROTC to the Easton Area School
District. Parents, school board members and taxpayers need to know
this, since the district is stretching funds for its most basic
programs in the face of this year's federal budget cuts.
It seemed curious that a school board so strapped would consider a
new program -- a program administered by the U.S. military, no less.
JROTC costs are consistently underestimated by the military. Most
districts find actual costs are far greater. The national average is
about $70,000, which doesn't include expensive modifications to
school facilities for drilling and weapon storage, according to the
Digest of Education Statistics.
Army Sgt. Mark A. Schulz says that adding ROTC would require the
district to hire two retired officers as instructors and pay half
their salaries. JROTC instructor salary is based on military salary,
which are often higher than other certified teachers in the district.
Plus the school has to pay their insurance and benefits. Why would
the school choose to send one more taxpayer dollar to the U.S.
military?
This type of dichotomy makes any conscientious taxpayer stop and
think; just who or what is at work here? Perhaps it's the same group
that values continuing the war over the education budget.
Beyond the funding mystery, perhaps we should look more carefully at
what place a military program has in our high school, if any. Perhaps
you've heard the military's pitch. It sounds like a great option to
kids (or parents) who want to develop self-discipline, leadership
skills and service.
Well, that's if the military lived up to its claims. Rather than
teaching leadership skills, JROTC teaches students at an
impressionable age that violence and war are legitimate ways to
resolve conflicts, and that killing is acceptable. One JROTC textbook
reads, "troops should react to command rather than thought." Is
learning to march and obey without thinking preparing students for
leadership or success in a high-tech future?
With curriculum and textbooks provided by the Defense Department, the
school has little control over course content, which presents a
grossly distorted view of history. Retired Marine Master Sgt. Stephen
Borland says in the article, "students are taught nautical
engineering, political science and war history, among other things.
They also drill and learn to present the flag." He neglects to
mention that about 90 percent of JROTC programs train students to
fire rifles or pistols.
JROTC brings a mindset based on violence and the threat of violence
and glorifies war. News across the country has shown that some cadets
turn to violence to solve their problems. Cadets in Long Beach, Cal.
formed a gang and murdered a student, one camouflage-clad JROTC
student murdered nine Buddhist monks, and a San Francisco student's
eardrum was broken in a hazing ritual that had gone on for years.
Borland says the ROTC program is not designed to lure young people
into military life, and high school participants aren't compelled to
enlist after graduation. Let's not kid ourselves. The military can be
desperate, as we've seen in news about overzealous recruiters. They
specifically target schools with low-income, impressionable youngsters.
It is exactly for this reason that former Defense Secretary William
Cohen called JROTC "one of the best recruitment programs we could
have." Like a Trojan horse, JROTC masquerades as leadership training
to gain access to schools and a large pool of potential recruits.
The school board's Academics in Education committee has tabled the
JROTC proposal to further investigate it. Concerned taxpayers,
parents and students should contact board members. It may reappear on
the agenda at any time.
Kelly Prentice is a freelance writer and editor based in Easton. She
can be reached at kmprentice@rcn.com.
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