Everyone is familiar with ROTC, the college-level Reserve Officers Training Corps.  And most people are familiar with JROTC, the high-school level Junior ROTC.  But now there is a new level of military training being offered more and more in schools: the MSCC, or Middle School Cadet Corps.

I know that people object to having military programs in schools because they feel it militarizes our children.  And, well, that is sort of the point.  Chicago is the leader in the MSCC, as well as having more public military academies than any other city in the United States, and while thousands clamor to get their kids into every new freshman class, some don’t think we should be teaching them military values. 

So, what are military values?  And what are kids in MSCC and Military Academy programs learning?  The answers to those two questions are the same, so let’s look at some of them.

• Honor.  And c’mon, are the public schools teaching this ideal anywhere?  I don’t see it, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need it.
• Responsibility.  You are in charge of things and people.  Their fate is in your hands.  You have to rise to the challenge or face the…
• Consequences.  Misbehavior and failures have real, measurable consequences.  What a concept.
• Discipline.  You learn self-control, and how to make short-term sacrifice to accomplish long-term goals.  You learn that your immediate needs are not the only consideration.  You lean to push yourself a little further than you thought you could go.
• Respect for authority.  Another thing sorely lacking in most public schools.
• Physical fitness.  Childhood obesity is on the rise, and funding for “extras” like PE programs is falling.  But military programs insist that each student take care of his or her body to keep it fit for the tasks at hand.
• Equality.  I know there’s still sexism in the trenches, but more and more, those who serve well gain both authority and priveleges, as well as responsibility, regardless of their gender.
• Excellence.  In a military culture, if you’re expected to do something, you’re expected to do it well.  That’s what inspections are for.  If it’s wrong, you will accept the consequences, and then you will do the task again, and again, until it is right.  Chances are next time you’ll be more careful. 
• Leadership.  Students get to practice making difficult decisions that will affect other people.  They learn that their choices have ramifications, and they learn how to navigate those choppy waters.
• Teamwork.  You march together, drill together, fail or succeed together.  You think with a sort of double mind, both as an individual and as a part of something greater.  You sacrifice for the greater good if you need to, knowing that if the team/squadron/crew succeeds, you will also ultimateley succeed.
• Grades.  Students have to keep their grades up in all their classes to remain in the program.  So they study.
• Citizenship.  Students are instructed in American citizenship; in fact the mission of the Army JROTC is “To motivate young people to be better citizens.”  If we’re not careful, they may end up being proud to be Americans.
• View to the future.  Not all JROTC and MSCC kids will go on to serve in the military.  In fact, only about 18% will.  But for some kids that’s a foot in the door of a good career, worthwhile work, and an extensive support system that they never could have had otherwise.

I’m not stupid, I know what a military is for.  If these kids stay in this program through ROTC and enlistment, they will eventually learn sophisticated ways of killing other human beings.  They may or may not ever have to put that training into use, but they will always have to be ready to do so.   They do that so that I don’t have to, and I’m more aware than most people what that may end up costing them.

But they don’t have to do that in MSCC or JROTC.  In these programs, they learn the above things…things their peers are not learning.  How many of us have looked at the rising generation of kids and wondered why they have no respect or discipline or honor or responsibility?  How much sense does it make to critisize programs that instill those very things we wish our kids had more of?

People who object to the militarization of youth don’t have to send their kids to a military academy or allow them to enroll in a MSCC or JROTC program.  There are other worthwhile programs in the schools.  But military programs are extremely effective for some kids, and shouldn’t be taken away.

Image courtesy of patrioticjoes.com

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