Waging War on Kids

JROTC Under Attack in San Fran

The San Francisco Board of Education is likely to cancel the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program in San Francisco public schools this week. The reason: School leaders must confront the Department of Defense "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay service members, and the war in Iraq.

The JROTC program has been around a long time, created as part of the 1916 National Defense Act. It has grown considerably in the past fifteen years, and currently there are about 3000 high schools across the U.S. that have a JROTC program. Taken from Title 10 of the U.S. Code, JROTC "instills in students in United States secondary educational institutions the value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment." Clearly, such words do not dovetail with San Francisco values.

Our Nation's children who are JROTC cadets benefit immensely from the program. Many of today's kids lack structure and discipline in their lives, and have an inward yearning for a program based on such values. Punctuality, teamwork and camaraderie are important for today's youth, and JROTC is a great place for kids to spend their time.

Links:
San Francisco Chronicle article urging the Board to keep JROTC
Michelle Malkin's column on the same subject
Army JROTC
Navy JROTC
Marine Corps JROTC
Air Force JROTC