JROTC History
The United States Army
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) came into being with the
passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. Under the provisions of
the Act, high schools were authorized the loan of federal military
equipment and the assignment of active duty military personnel as
instructors. In 1964, the Vitalization Act opened JROTC up to the other
services and replaced most of the active duty instructors with retirees
who worked for and were cost shared by the schools.
Title 10 of
the U.S. Code declares that "the purpose of Junior Reserve Officers'
Training Corps is to instill in students in United States secondary
educational institutions the value of citizenship, service to the United
States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment."
The
JROTC Program has changed greatly over the years. Once looked upon
primarily as a source of enlisted recruits and officer candidates, it
became a citizenship program devoted to the moral, physical and
educational uplift of American youth. Although the program retained its
military structure and the resultant ability to infuse in its student
cadets a sense of discipline and order, it shed most of its early
military content.
The study of ethics, citizenship, communications, leadership, life skills and other subjects designed to prepare young men and woman to take their place
in adult society, evolved as the core of the program. More recently, an
improved student centered curriculum focusing on character building and
civic responsibility is being presented in every JROTC classroom.
JROTC
is a continuing success story. From a modest beginning of 6 units in
1916, JROTC has expanded to 1645 schools today and to every state in the
nation and American schools overseas. Cadet enrollment has grown to
281,000 cadets with 4,000 professional instructors in the classrooms.
Comprised solely of active duty Army retirees, the JROTC instructors
serve as mentors developing the outstanding young citizens of our
country.