The Lincoln Log

The closing of the JROTC program is decided on votes by the school board. If voted against, it will be taken away completely after spring 2006 and fall 2007.

Col. Powell and Vienna Luu, the Battalion Commander and Girls Drill Team (GDT) Commander are two people from the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program who are willing to fight against the closure of the JROTC. These two have gone to School Board meetings and openly spoke out for their cause and in the defense of the JROTC program.

On May 23, 2006 Commissioner Dan Kelly and School Board Member Mark Sanchez introduced to the school board the plan to take away JROTC that would take away the program throughout the SFUSD high schools including Lincoln, Lowell, Washington, Burton, Galileo, Balboa, and Mission.

They want to take the program away because of “personal issues” Col. Powell said.

JROTC is funded from the U.S. Department of Defense and supports a policy called “Don’t ask don’t tell.” This policy basically means if you’re homosexual you are not to show in any way that you are homosexual and in return the commanders are not allowed to ask about your sexual orientation.

However, this policy does not pertain to JROTC, its students, or instructors. There are actually rules in JROTC prohibiting discrimination based on sex, handicap condition, religion, race, creed, and sexual orientation. JROTC cannot discriminate in the hiring of instructors and student selection. JROTC is not a military preparedness program, which is commonly seen so, and prohibits any tactical training or any military like training.

The Board of Education and many other parents think that the program is a breeding ground for military recruitment. Contrary to what many people may think JROTC is not a recruiting ground for the military.

“JROTC is not allowed to recruit people in Army, Navy, or Air force,” Col. Powell said Recruiting is not part of JROTC and the instructors do not receive any form of commission for cadets entering the military. JROTC has no part of preparing students for military service that is for Senior Reserve Officer Training Corp. (SROTC. The two are very different and have different goals.

High school principals, the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), the Alumni Association, the student government and Student Advisory Council (SAC) all support the JROTC program throughout San Francisco.

If it is taken away, then the Board of Education will have to find an alternative program, which will still produce the same results. If the closure does happen, it won’t affect the government in any way.

“It [JROTC] isn’t the problem; taking RO away in SF is not the solution,” Luu said. It won’t affect the government in anyway because even if JROTC might not take place in San Francisco, it will still be available in another state.

There are 700 schools nationwide waiting to have JROTC installed. If these seven school’s JROTC programs are shut down in the SFUSD, then seven new schools across the nation will have the opportunity of having this program available at their school.

“I think it [JROTC closure] is bad because people that would rather build leadership skill than run will have to do physical education in order to graduate,” a physical education student said.