Show Report From Washington By LAURENCE J J. J BURTON R- R Utah R-Utah Utah Recently several college campuses across the country have rocked with demonstrations some of which have protested protested protested pro pro- tested over the establishment of the ROTC Reserve Officers' Officers Training Corps program It was under the 1916 National Defense Act that ROTC units began to spring up Six such units came into being the fol following following following fol- fol lowing year Including Yale and Harvard Now It looks as if Yale and Harvard are doing a very unmilitary about face The faculties of ot these two institutions Institutions institutions institutions' V want to do away with the academic standing of ROTC relegating it to the min minor r status of merely an extra extracurricular extracurricular curricular activity In my opinion this Is Just not right Thousands of officers have graduated through ROTC to be the leaders of our military military military ary forces in time of peace and war Their leadership has been beena a major factor in keeping this country free tree and making the United States the leader of all allfree allfree allfree free people In the world The ROTC program moulds boys Into men and men into leaders not only of our community community community com com- and nation but of milItary military military mil mil- Installations throughout the world For instance 41 generals In the Air Force today were commissioned originally from ROTC Eight of the major commands in v Vietnam today are filled with generals who came from ROTC Last year alone the ROTC graduated officers for the Army Navy and Air Force more Force more than 10 times the number graduated from the three service academies academies academies acad acad- West Point Annapolis and Colorado Springs that year If U you are impressed with numb numbers rs alone the Air Force in 20 years has received officers from ROTC while the Army In 10 years has brought out the gold bars for officers through ROTC And something else which ought to be mentioned is the Navy NaYf Junior or Program which began in Utah Just last year The Junior Program is a high school ROTC program and arid although the Army and and Air Force have had their high school programs going for a dew afew few years the Navy has Just begun and its it's working very well The Navys Navy's Junior ROTC program has been established ish at Kearns High School and Its purPoses purposes are are similar lar to those under direction of ot the the Air Force and Army Two-thirds Two of the studies under the program deal strictly with academic subjects subjects subjects sub sub- sciences history politics pol patriotism and leadership In the community The other third deals with the military aspect of the program drills ceremonies physical exercise Since these boys will truly be the leaders of our country in a matter of just a few years I believe this basic ROTC program is a valuable one While there arent aren't enough allotments al allotments allotments al- al for every Utah high school to support a unit there are several Besides the Navy program at Kearns the Air Force has Junior Programs at Orem and Provo High Schools while the Army's Junior units are In effect at at high schools at Legan Lagan Ogden and Salt Lake City Naturally not all those students students students stud stud- participating in the Junior Program continue with college ROTC In fact many dont don't go goon goon goon on to college at all but the purpose of the Junior Program is not to just make a boy ready for college ROTC but butto to make a aboy aboy aboy boy a leader within his own community to respect those who now lead to stand up for what is right in his school and andIn andin andin in his own neighborhood Of course If he should volunteer for military duty or is drafted he would be way ahead of those who had no preparatory training train train- training ing in the military and that's important When I entered service in World War Two after serving in a Junior Program Program Program Pro Pro- gram I at least knew the fundamentals of military life Ute and it was a great help I Ionly Ionly Ionly only hope my son is fortunate enough to attend a high school with such a program It is good to know mow that our Utah college and high school campuses are are filled with students students students stud stud- who are to tobe tobe tobe be educated rather than dissenting dis dissenting dissenting dis- dis just for demonstrations demonstration's sake It is a sad thing Indeed when two of our oldest Institutions Institutions institutions Yale and Harvard Harvard- have faculty members who would rather do away with the ROTC program than confront students with a broad academic program After Atter all the students are not required to enlist in 10 inthe inthe the ROTC Once accepted their grades must remain high in ALL of their subjects Its It's a privilege privIlege privilege to belong to a unit some of the best ROTC programs are on our Utah campuses I |