San Franciscans weigh merits of JROTC

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From left, high school students Steven Zheng, Roger Vien and Anthony Truong go campaigning door to door for a ballot measure supporting JROTC in San Francisco on Sept. 24. While San Francisco moves toward becoming the first city to remove a JROTC program, battle lines have hardened between the anti-JROTC forces and others, including many college-bound Chinese-American students, who view the elective course as valuable self-improvement and a social activity.


San Franciscans weigh merits of JROTC
By Juliana Barbassa - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 1, 2008 20:23:36 EDT

SAN FRANCISCO — In this city long associated with the peace movement, some teens are taking an unlikely stance — campaigning to keep the armed forces’ Junior ROTC program in public schools.

If a school board decision stands, San Francisco would become the first city to remove a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. But supporters, including many college-bound Asian-American students who make up the majority of cadets here, initiated an advisory measure on the November ballot. They hope it will persuade a new school board to save JROTC.

Board members who decided to kick JROTC out of town see it an as arm of the military that reaches into schools, discriminates against gays by enforcing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” mandate and recruits teenagers for an unpopular war.

“It’s a broader issue about the Bush administration and military recruiting through JROTC,” said board member Eric Mar. “It’s clear with the military, if you’re gay and out, you don’t get the same opportunities,” he added.

He was among board members who voted two years ago to phase out JROTC and replace it with programs not linked to the military. The deadline was set for 2008, but the board later extended JROTC until next June because an alternative was not developed in time.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/ap_rotc_sanfrancisco_100108/%2e