The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program was founded in 1911 in Cheyenne Wyoming, by Army Lieutenant Edgar R. Steevers. Lieutenant Steevers was assigned as an inspector-instructor of the organized military of Wyoming. During his assignment he envisioned a non-compulsory cadet corps comprised of high school students. His program was aimed toward making better citizens. He wanted to teach young men the advantages of having a strong body and mind, the value of self-control and the importance of community service. The National Defense Act of 1916 authorized a junior course for non-college military schools, high schools and non-preparatory schools. The Army implemented JROTC in 1916. Public Law 88-647, commonly known as the ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964, directed the Secretaries of each military service to establish and maintain JROTC units for their respective services. With a modest beginning of 20 units in 1966, Air Force JROTC (AFJROTC) has grown to more than 600 units throughout the world, with a current enrollment of over 85,000 cadets. Though the original units were comprised of only men, the admission regulations changed in 1972 to allow women to join. By the end of that year, over 2100 females were admitted as new cadets. Since then, the number of females has increased to over 34,000 - a full 41 percent of the corps.

THE FIRST JROTC UNIT

Leavenworth High School, Leavenworth, Kansas, claims the distinction of having the first official JROTC program in the United States. The school's JROTC program has been there since Jan. 29, 1917. It had a military science and tactics program as far back as 1897. In January 1897, 30 students visited the commanding general of Fort Leavenworth. The purpose of their meeting was to request that an officer from the fort come to the high school and teach military subjects. In response to their request, Capt. Houston was detailed to train the students for one hour each morning, five days a week. The students drilled in a hallway with broomsticks instead of rifles. In the years before Leavenworth High became an official JROTC unit, many events transpired. The unit was disbanded and reorganized, the first cadet hop was held, a week-long hike/campout became an annual event, and medals were presented for the best-drilled individual. The first rifles were purchased and the cadets chipped in and bought their own uniforms. The uniform consisted of a blue coat with a high military collar and blue trousers with a black stripe down the side. On Jan. 13, 1917, Special Order Number 11 appointed Lt. Col. Ezwa Fuller as the PMS&T at Leavenworth Senior High School. On Jan. 29, 1917, Bulletin Number six named Leavenworth Senior High to have the first official JROTC unit in the United States. With the outbreak of World War I, Bulletin Number 56, Oct. 10, 1917, discontinued the JROTC unit. This was done because so many cadets were joining the Army that the JROTC Corps membership fell below the required level to sustain a program. After the war, Bulletin Number 63, Dec. 29, 1919, reestablished Leavenworth High School's JROTC unit. Since that date the unit has been a permanent element at Leavenworth High. Leavenworth High has many firsts in the nation. In addition to having the first JROTC unit, a girls cadet company was started in 1912. Their uniform was a plain white dress with a long navy-blue cape lined in red. This was a very unusual unit because the Women's Army Corps wasn't established yet. The female unit lasted three or four years. In 1961, Leavenworth High started a Ranger platoon, the first Ranger unit in the nation to be formed by a JROTC program. The platoon members met on weekends and went out on various missions with tactical objectives. They participated in rugged, strenuous activities. For approximately 70 years, with the exception of two, Leavenworth High School's JROTC unit has been an Honor Unit with Distinction since the inception of that award. The special units have been a guard of honor for General Pershing and Marshall Ferdinand Foch of France on their trips through the United States. They also honored President Calvin Coolidge when he dedicated the Liberty Memorial to World War I veterans in Kansas City, Missouri.

Females and

On 29 November 1973, the President signed Public Law 93-165, which stated that females could be counted for enrollment in JROTC. Prior to this law, women could participate in JROTC activities, but could not be counted toward enrollment quotas. Further, women were not issued uniforms, nor could they wear the Corps insignia or receive a Certificate of Completion. Even before females were fully admitted into the JROTC program, they were making history and contributing to their respective units. In fact, the first female pilot soloed in the AFJROTC program in 1972. That same year, the AFJROTC Directorate wrote, "The approval to enroll females as cadets in AFJROTC is indicative of the strong position the Air Force and the Department of Defense hold concerning equality for all their members." About the same time that females were being admitted to the Air Force Academy, several AFJROTC units were formally welcoming young women to their ranks. From the start, the Air Force has always championed the cause of educational equality for women. This proactive involvement in educational opportunities for young women continues from AFJROTC all the way into college and beyond.

JROTC Expansion

The most recent JROTC expansion began on Aug. 24, 1992, when President George Bush announced during a speech at the Lincoln Technical Institute in Union, N.J., "Today I’m doubling the size of our junior ROTC program. We’re going to expand it from 1500 to 2900 schools. JROTC is a great program that boosts high school completion rates, reduces drug use, raises self-esteem, and gets these kids firmly on the right track." The 2,900 high schools to which President Bush was referring included those sponsored by the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy as well as the Army. Due to subsequently imposed funding constraints however, the services could not quite reach the stated objective. The Bush idea reflected an earlier proposal of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell. In a memorandum to the Secretary of Defense, dated June 8, 1992, Gen. Powell characterized JROTC as the "best opportunity for the Department of Defense to make a positive impact on the nation’s youth." Gen. Powell urged that particular emphasis be placed on establishing JROTC units in the nation’s inner cities – areas where drugs, gangs and juvenile delinquency flourish. The Los Angeles riots in April 1992, provided the immediate stimulus for the JROTC initiative. Powell visited the site of the disturbances and was touched by what he saw. The Chairman, it seems, felt that the junior program’s emphasis on responsible citizenship, leadership development and respect for constituted authority would prepossess American youth to eschew such expressions of frustration in the future and encourage them to channel their energies along more productive avenues.