ROTC, which is an abbreviated form for “Reserve Officers Training Corps”, is an elective in many high schools that provide students who are interested in any branch of military or a similar experience. Today, I will be researching the origins of ROTC, and how ROTC affects Eisenhower High School. 

ROTC Beginnings and Purposes:

We begin with Captain Alden Partridge, who started the “Reserve Officers Training Corps” in West Point, New York in 1819. ROTC began to expand the army reserves needed for the National Guard, which consisted of training college students to fit “military standard”. Originally this was composed for men, until the same time women started to serve in 1948. Congress believed having college students train will help convince men to join the army, or have them listed in the draft as a “Reserve Troop”. 

So, how has ROTC changed to the present day? To begin with the changes, both men and women were able to join ROTC. However, it wasn’t mandatory to join the military after, and the draft was abolished, meaning no more “Reserve Troops”. The cadets in ROTC would achieve benefits from their colleges, or build life skills to aid them during their academic career. However, regarding the students who do wish to join the military, ROTC does provide career opportunities inside of the military, ranging from on-field soldiers, to mechanics. ROTC helps students achieve these positions inside of the military, and possibly be accustomed to basic training exercises.

ROTC at Ike: 

ROTC inside of Eisenhower high school is very popular among students. Many days you can find students practicing at the quad before first period. Students usually practice their marching formations during this time. On Wednesdays, you can find ROTC students wearing a similar outfit of army attire: camo vest and pants. with tan boots. Now, I’m pretty sure most of you have been asking, but what are the activities that take place inside of ROTC? Stated from Master Sergeant at Eisenhower, they do various activities which relate to military experience, such as shooting or carrying their peers on stretchers for exercises. ROTC also enforces a consistent schedule of military drills on Mondays, and by law of the state, also wearing their uniforms on Wednesdays.

I also interviewed some students in ROTC, getting a view from their own perspective as actual participants in the elective. They claim that the exercising they do is not difficult, if anything, more entertaining. They also informed me of the competitions they do for ROTC, which consist of various contests like raiders, which are essentially mud crawls. Flag marching, and shooting are also additional comps in which they attend. Eisenhower has even won various trophies due to our amazing ROTC students as well!

This concludes my article, thank you for reading! If you happen to be interested in these activities, ROTC is always accepting new students to join their class, so if this does catch your attention, make sure to check the ROTC room at G-6!