THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 21, 1995 TAG: 9504210056
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIMBERLY HAMMERMAN, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
THE STUDENT COMMANDER steps directly in front of the cadet, pivots on a spit-shined shoe and moves within an inch of the lesser-ranked student's face.
The young man does not budge. His gaze is glued to a far-off wall. Not a muscle twitches inside his itchy blue uniform. The commander's eyes sweep across the cadet's face and uniform, her hot breath brushes his skin. She touches the racks of ribbons decorating the breast of his uniform jacket and pauses.
``Ribbons not lined up with the seams,'' she said.
Another student with a clipboard makes a mark on a piece of paper, a record of the violation. They move on and the cadet breathes a small, silent sigh of relief.
Inspection days in the JROTC program are always grueling, just like they are in the real military. That's because the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps is structured like the military.
JROTC is a program designed to give high school students a taste of the military. JROTC programs in local high schools are sponsored by different branches of the military. Norfolk and Virginia Beach schools have Naval JROTC, Portsmouth schools have Marine JROTC and Chesapeake schools have Air Force JROTC.
Although members of the corps are sometimes stereotyped as nerds by other kids, most take pride in what they do. There are plenty of them out there, too - more than 900 in local Navy JROTC programs alone.
``I like the camaraderie and all the friends I've made,'' said Panagiotis Kalentzis, a 16-year-old Indian River junior and a cadet second lieutenant.
``We stick together. We all stand as one,'' added junior Brian Keys, 17, a third-year cadet and second lieutenant at Indian River.
From roll call to last bell, JROTC classes are different.
Students study subjects such as aviation science, rocketry and navigation. But one of the most unique parts of JROTC is the survival training.
``Survival is part of our syllabus; living off the land,'' said Capt. John Warren, JROTC teacher at Maury High in Norfolk.
This winter, JROTC students from Granby, Norview and Maury high schools spent two nights in sub-zero temperatures, sleeping outside and killing rabbits for food at the Navy's Survival Training School in Brunswick, Maine. Although it was so cold that canteen water froze in 15 minutes and hypothermia was a real danger, many considered it the high point of JROTC.
Like survival training, a lot of JROTC lessons don't come from textbooks. Every day students learn about things like respect, loyalty and how to follow orders.
``It's neat to watch them growing up and gaining confidence in their ability to lead their peers,'' Warren said.
Before each flight (or class) at Indian River, a student flight commander calls the cadets to attention. They turn sharply to the flag, place their hands on their hearts (on uniform days they salute) and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The teacher is always a retired veteran in military uniform and students know better than to act up in class. JROTC is governed like the military, operating on a merit/-demerit system. Members can rack up demerits for not wearing a hat outdoors or for kissing in uniform. Merits are awarded for wearing the uniform extra times or for community service.
If an JROTC student is caught fighting, he or she must answer to administrators and the unit commander. They risk being demoted from their rank, missing out on the next promotion or even dismissal from the corps.
``We do hold them to a higher standard than regular high school students and what they do in other classes does affect their grades here,'' said retired Chief Petty Officer Pat G. Martin, the associate naval science instructor at Granby High.
Weekly in-class inspections are performed by student leaders. Although some people in school think the uniforms look silly, most in the corps are proud to wear them.
``I always looked forward to uniform days,'' said Adam Alford, a 1994 Indian River graduate and former unit cadet major. ``It was a chance for me to show off to the whole school and show that I belonged to something.''
After inspection, units march through the halls, their eyes always focused straight ahead and their feet forever in step. Even when other students gather to stare, JROTC students must march on. THE PAYOFF
So where does all of this punishment lead after high school? If students enlist, they automatically receive a higher rank after basic training. Instead of E-1, students entering the Marines and Army are E-2s, and in the Navy and Air Force, E-3s. Along with these promotions comes and higher pay, as much as $200 a month.
``On average, about 20 percent of the IRHS graduating JROTC members enlist in one branch of service or another,'' said retired Sgt. Ruben L. Davis, a JROTC teacher at Indian River High.
When Ken Winston enters the Marines after high school, he says that his JROTC training will make his stay in basic training easier. ``I can march, I know ranks, and I know the basic information,'' said the 18-year-old second lieutenant and senior at Indian River.
Another option is applying to a military academy for one of the best educations in the country. All it costs is a few years of service afterward. ROTC scholarships assist students at other colleges with ROTC programs. After graduation, one is guaranteed a job in the military.
Students don't have to be in JROTC to get a scholarship or attend an academy, but a retired colonel's or captain's recommendation helps a scholarship or an academy application along.
Brian Keys, who is Air Force-bound, knows the benefits well.
``I'm going to have a job that pays good money,'' he said, ``free medical, free dental, everything.''
Even if students don't go into the military, JROTC looks great on a college application and helps to fill the ``leadership positions'' line.
``I feel that everybody should at least try the JROTC program,'' Brian said. ``It takes somebody out of school and teaches them discipline and respect . . . . You start taking pride in your work.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Feet forever in step, JROTC cadets drill at Maury High School.
KIMERLY[sic] HAMMERMAN IS A SENIOR AT INDIAN RIVER HIGH SCHOOL.
Photo
JIM WALKER/STAFF
Platoon leader Derak Coles holds formation in the parking lot at
Norfolk's Maury High School.
by CNB