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.