Matthew Hartman had every intention of enlisting in the Army directly after his graduation in two years. But it was Col. Sterling Stokes and his military staff who convinced Hartman that college, not the battlefield, was a better option. At least for now. “They persuaded me that there is always time to serve my country and that maybe I would be… return to article
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Reader Comments (10)Page 1 of 1 pageshi, guys I am new to this forum so this is my humble request to you all that please cooperate with me and send me updates of this forum
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Posted by aviraj on Aug 20, 2008 at 11:25 AM My experience of JROTC at my high school (1953-1956) served me well.
It provided a clearer picture of military life and aroused an interest in American history which continues. When I enlisted I was obviously better prepared than many. The discipline and courtesy learned would be welcome to see in more kids today.
Many thanks to M/Sgt Graham M. Cockfield and Capt. Casey.
Posted by whattheheck on Aug 20, 2008 at 12:48 PM I think McDuffee is way off on the recruiting budget—the last figure I saw reported was about $4 billion, not $20.5 billion. But it’s good that he points out that JROTC is part of the recruiting budget, despite all their claims that it has nothing to do with recruiting.
Posted by peterkc on Aug 20, 2008 at 4:51 PM I’m familiar with JROTC having experienced it first hand a lifetime ago. I was active, earned good grades and rank, but if I were to have any input on the subject today I would argue against military training or education at any primary or secondary school or for any student younger than eighteen.
I recall from my sophomore high school Military Science and Tactics class Army Sgt. Carl Nichols showed us movies of severely wounded World War Two soldiers being hauled back from the front lines while receiving first aid. The mantra was Stop the bleeding, protect the wound, and treat for shock. An image that has stayed with me for nearly fifty years is that of a severely wounded soldier with his intestines spilled out onto the stretcher. After watching the movie one of my classmates strapped on a plastic simulacrum of spilled out guts and each of us practiced dressing the wound with standard Army field dressings. Another lesson was on the treatment of sucking puncture wounds to the upper chest, complete with the movie and practice dressing. I also remember Sgt Richard Fox instructing me to set the sights on my rifle for three hundred yards and to aim for the middle, about three inches above the belly button. Don’t aim for the head. It’s too small’ you’ll never hit it.
Also I remember the lecture on the evils of pornography from the righteous upstanding Major Tedsan Timberlake. I recall Maj. Timberlake sweating profusely as I and my classmates stood at attention in the barracks while he launched into detailed descriptions of the close-ups that I must reject lest my brain rot. All this while his minions went from room to room opening and emptying every closet and drawer onto the floor searching for the evil titties.
Nifty stuff to teach a high school kid. That’s my JROTC class circa 1960.
Then there are the ten pushups you offhandedly mention. It seems a small and harmless enough rite of hazing. The pushups are invariably performed by the New Boys, Plebes, Dooleys, Rats, that is, the first year students, at the order of an upperclassman. Ten pushups aren’t too tough, however how many times may a newbee cadet be ordered to “hit ten” and in what span of time? I can relate to you from experience, many times, and not much time. Say ten guys order one plebe to hit ten, one after another. Sometime prior to the hundredth the kid is collapses on the ground and several upperclassmen stand over the hapless cadet hollering and screaming for the kid to finish his ten. I experienced this from both sides. And this does not include those torts performed in private, on the halls in the barracks. Did you hear about “The Little Red Chair” or “The Iron Cross”? When I have called schoolmates to catch up and interview them, the first thing that they mention is their recollection of the hazing. Most laughed it off, but a few had not thought about it for decades and got angry over the phone.
From my graduating class, (1963), five guys out of one hundred ten went in to the Army. A few of those made a successful career of it. But many of my classmates expressed a distinct distaste for things military after their JROTC experience. Most of us went on to college, a startlingly large number flunked out after one year. When I looked up my classmates after thirty years or so they said that when they got to college they didn’t know what to do with their freedom.
If you think after reading this that I attended some freakish school, it was Kemper Military School, one of the best of about five hundred high schools where JROTC was offered.
This missive is getting too long and I have many more stories, but you get the idea. Military training and the Army should not be allowed in public primary and secondary schools, and it should not be allowed for children under the age of eighteen.
Posted by Titzel on Aug 21, 2008 at 12:31 AM I am currntly a senior in High School and I am an officer in the JROTC program I feel that JROTC is an awesome program that you can learn from. In jrotc we learn about real world situations we learn things like how to live on a budget survival skills and first aid. We also learn how to be a leader and a follower and what the difference. As far as the recruiting thing goes I know more kids that are joining the miliatary that are not in JROTC then I know that are in JROTC. I am not joining the military I want to be a police officer but JROTC is one of my favorite classes.
Posted by broncomaniac17 on Aug 23, 2008 at 3:15 AM JROTC is an excellent program that provides far more in benefits than simply an opportunity to join the service. Most of the JROTC groups where I live are actually in a public school and not a full time military academy. I think they get the best of both worlds.
Posted by Phillip on Aug 24, 2008 at 5:15 AM I am currently a senior in high school and was beaten up last year, held down, and had my braids cut off by 4 JROTC students. I was told this was a harmless prank and that it was done because some of my friends who are in JROTC know that the strict hair cut policy JROTC has at my school is one of the many reasons I will not join.
When I went to the school board, they actually had the nerve to tell me I looked better with shorter hair, and that these people were trying to give me opportunity in life.
What scares me the most is I am mixed (Mexican and black) and the Mexican students who are JROTC are actually encouraged to speak English only and be abusive towards any student who speaks Spanish. Racist names are also called by the instructors to black and Mexican students and no one seems to care, they act like this is OK.
The way they treat Gay students is also unacceptable at my school. Calling people faggot and queer or saying things like you are going to be beat up is OK, and nothing is done.
The JROTC students run around the school demanding people show them respect and last year on Fridays during lunch students were ask to stand while JROTC students sat and ate lunch as some sort of way to show them respect.
JROTC students are also allowed to demand other students do push ups. The year before last 3 students got into trouble for bulling a handicapped person for not being able to do as they ask.
All of this needs to stop!
Posted by DavinVails on Aug 24, 2008 at 6:29 PM The figure about Chicago military academies not keeping up with demand is bogus. “7,500 students applied for 700 openings in the freshman class.” Show us the data Chicago Public Schools (CPS)! They can’t. Take a case in point. Rickover Naval Academy, which is currently occupying part of Senn High School, has consistently failed to reach its enlistment goals. Where then is the overwhelming demand? CPS has to lie and fabricate in order to make its case for the militarization of our schools.
There are more example of their lies at www.substancenews.net
Posted by broa on Aug 24, 2008 at 8:31 PM Dear Davin Vaild I agree that the bullying from the JROTC students at your school needs to stop. The thing is that not all people in JROTC are like this and not all schools let them get away with it. I know at my school they would never put up with something like that. I still think most JROTC programs are GREAT! and I highly reccomend them.
Posted by broncomaniac17 on Aug 26, 2008 at 2:55 AM I have to echo broncomaniac’s sentiment. My daughter was in AFJROTC in high school here in TX. Had she or any other “Cadet” acted as DavinVails described they would have been drummed out quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Posted by Phillip on Aug 26, 2008 at 3:37 AM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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