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JROTC Losing Grip

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2007

Photo Gallery: JROTC Training

TAMPA - After 90 minutes of calisthenics and climbing - upside down and fist over fist - across a rope bridge, Alexandra Munoz gathered her student battalion in a Hillsborough High classroom and reviewed practice.

Good overall, Munoz said, but if Hillsborough's team wanted to compete against other Army Junior ROTC programs this fall, it would need to increase speed and upper-body strength.

'You all need to be pumping out 20 to 50 pushups before you go to bed,' Munoz said. 'No, I'm just kidding. Not 50. I don't want you to die on me.'

As a senior, Munoz is a battalion commander in Hillsborough High School's JROTC, which puts the petite 17-year-old with the long ponytail in charge of roll call, barking out orders and giving critiques. She was quiet and didn't talk much as a freshman, and her first day in charge of her team she felt nervous about her leadership role.

'After that,' she said, 'it felt like a natural thing.'

Her growth and increased confidence are some of the benefits student JROTC cadets say the organization brings. But that might not be enough to overcome the misconceptions and class scheduling problems that dog the program, leaving its future uncertain.

Junior ROTC at Hillsborough High dates to 1935, before most of the county's high schools were built. Despite its longevity, enrollment has decreased. If it keeps dropping, the program could get put on probation and might shut down permanently.

Parents have asked instructors at open houses if joining JROTC is akin to signing up for war. Students see drill team practice and think their classmates are being trained to join the Army.

'They said, 'I don't want to go to Iraq, I don't want to get shot,'' said sophomore Adam Papy, who joined Hillsborough High's program last year.

Other students shy away because of the crisp, but unfashionable, uniforms, Papy said. Some think they have to commit to JROTC's after-school programs in addition to the class. Some don't have room in their schedules.

Sgt. Maj. Oscar Cunningham, Hillsborough High JROTC instructor, said a day with seven class periods has reduced the number of electives that students can take. Students who don't do well on standardized tests may be assigned mandatory reading classes in place of an elective such as JROTC.

Enrollment has climbed as high as 202 and averages about 151, enough to justify three instructors, said Cunningham, who served in the Army for 28 years and has worked for Hillsborough's program for 13. He enjoys witnessing how the students mature and he makes them work hard, but said they appreciate the discipline.

'I plan to be here another 10 years,' Cunningham said. 'This is better than active duty.'

Program Is Losing Soldiers

Last year, however, participation shrank to 122 and this year it is hovering around 117. The decrease meant Hillsborough had to reduce its JROTC teaching staff to two instructors. Should enrollment fall below 100, the Army could put the program on probation and sever the relationship with the school if the numbers don't rebound, Cunningham said.

If canceled, Hillsborough High could reapply if enrollment improved, a national spokesman said, but it would be difficult. About 300 schools are on a waiting list to open programs, and Hillsborough would have to get on the list and submit another application, said Paul Kotakis, Army JROTC and ROTC spokesman.

Kotakis works for the Army's Cadet Command, which is ROTC's parent organization based in Fort Monroe, Va. The Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force oversee JROTC and ROTC programs for their military branches as well. The high school groups are known as junior programs.

The Army's numbers nationally are on the upswing in high school. Last school year, there were 1,645 junior organizations with 286,244 students participating, according to Cadet Command figures. That is 135 more units and almost 13,500 more students than in the 2002-03 school year.

School systems and the Army share the costs of JROTC instructors, who are retired military personnel. They work together to establish the program, and Kotakis said that before a program was canceled ROTC officials would try to work with schools to increase enrollment.

'We can only operate in those school environments where we're wanted,' Kotakis said. 'We hope to preserve the unit, and we recognize completely that sometimes the circumstances may be such that our program no longer fits the need of the community.'

Myths Of Military Commitment

Why students choose or avoid JROTC can vary based on many factors - whether their parents served in the military, if the students are involved in other activities, what other students say.

'It's really difficult to gauge,' Kotakis said. 'It's an academic course. In the same way I can decide to take biology and not chemistry, there's no guarantee a youngster is not going to embark on a relationship with JROTC. They opt in and opt out.'

Many people do have trouble distinguishing between the high school programs, which have no military commitment, and the college ones, which are designed to recruit for the military, Kotakis said.

Cunningham said he doesn't care whether his students graduate to military careers. He just wants them to be successful. They also don't have to do anything extra other than attend the JROTC class, which includes lessons on first aid, wellness, history and geography. The other components - drill team, color guard and the Raider Team, which performs in physical competitions - are extracurricular.

Stephen Gibbs, who graduated from Hillsborough High last year, said he might enlist or he might pursue a career in designing video games. He joined JROTC as a sophomore because his friends joined.

'I wanted to know what it's about,' said Gibbs, 18. 'I didn't want to leave.'

Papy, 15, had quit football last year and was looking for another activity when his father suggested JROTC. He participated in the Raider Team last year and was surprised the experience crept into his self-confidence and ability to speak up outside of JROTC.

'Everyone thinks you get stronger physically, but personally, I'm able to tell people what I want to do without being all quiet,' Papy said.

For Munoz, whose parents served in the Army, JROTC may lead to a Coast Guard career. She loves the camaraderie of the group. The students treat each other with respect, responding to her roll call with, 'Here, ma'am.' They also joke around and shout out support during tough practices.

'Once you've made a friend in ROTC, it's like you have them for life,' Munoz said.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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