Both in and out of the classroom, JROTC
strives to fulfill its mission:
To Motivate Young People to Be Better
Citizens
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. There was a
condition that the instructors follow a prescribed course of
training and maintain a minimum enrollment of 100 students
over the age of 14 years who were US citizens. 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 1555 schools today
and to every state in the nation and American schools
overseas. Cadet enrollment has grown to 273,000 cadets with
3,900 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.
