Military Officer - December 2007 - (Page 42) chaptersinaction Tomorrow’s Leaders MOAA council and chapter members provide a wide range of support to ROTC and Junior ROTC programs nationwide. Learn how they foster success in today’s youth and ensure these programs continue. S upporting ROTC and Junior ROTC (JROTC) programs is one of the most important community outreach projects MOAA chapter members do. An estimated 90 percent of MOAA’s 408 chapters support one or more of these programs. The programs also bring together chapters with a diverse membership base. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps all operate their own ROTC and JROTC programs, and the Coast Guard supports some Navy JROTC schools. MOAA chapters are “joint,” serving all seven uniformed services, so a single chapter can support several different service units. Supporting ROTC and JROTC units affords chapter members one more opportunity to give back. Many MOAA members owe their careers to college and university ROTC programs. Many remember when they were an ROTC midshipman or cadet at a university or college, and a local MOAA chapter recognized them with a medal and certificate for excellent performance. As chapter members today, they can do the same for current members of ROTC programs. Col. Mike Sullivan, USMC-Ret., heads up the Oceanside, Calif., JROTC program. Helping his students go on to be successful in college — and sometimes in a military career after college — has turned out to be exactly what he was looking for. Though overall funding and service support for JROTC programs generally has increased, periodic school budget cuts and other national priorities sometimes put pressure on the programs. Currently, a JROTC instructor’s service branch pays half of his or her salary; the school district pays the other half. Many school districts’ budgets have been reduced, forcing school administrators to make some tough cuts. MOAA chapter members often do much more than support ROTC and JROTC programs by awarding certificates, medals, and scholarships and funding special competitions and events. They support these programs by reminding their communities how valuable these programs can be. Read on for a closer look at how chapters across the country are supporting these great JROTC and ROTC programs. You can, too — by finding out where your local chapter is and pitching in. You’ll be glad you did. — Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret. Director, Council and Chapter Affairs Supporting the Future F ON THE ROAD: This month, Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret., director of MOAA’s Council and Chapter Affairs, will visit chapter members in Florida, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Go to MOAA Calendar, page 85, for dates. 42 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2007 * ive years ago, members of the Silver Strand (Calif.) Chapter lobbied city hall and got the seed money needed to establish a Navy JROTC program at Coronado High School in California. Earlier this year, a team of cadets from that unit beat out 120 other Navy JROTC teams to win the 2007 Navy JROTC President’s Academic Challenge — a nationally recognized academic competition created for JROTC students by College Options Foundation Inc. in Peachtree, Ga. According to Silver Strand Chapter member Capt. Lee Pontes, USN-Ret., senior naval science instructor for the program, chapter members have supported the unit since its inception. In fact, when a team of cadets qualified for a marksmanship competition in Colorado last year, chapter members helped fund the last-minute trip. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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