Bill Text: NJ AR147 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Acknowledges 50th anniversary of "Reserve Officers' Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964" and expresses support for Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-08-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [AR147 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR147-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Acknowledges 50th anniversary of "Reserve Officers' Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964" and expresses support for Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the "Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Vitalization Act of 1964" and expressing support for New Jersey's Reserve Officers' Training Corps in colleges and universities and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps in high schools.
Whereas, Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs were established pursuant to the National Defense Act of 1916 to provide future officers with essential military skills and impart principles of leadership and teamwork to college and secondary school students; and
Whereas, The "Reserve Officers' Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964" directed the secretaries of each military service to establish and maintain ROTC and JROTC units for their respective services and introduce scholarships that would attract more educated and talented youth to the programs; and
Whereas, The tradition of military instruction on civilian college campuses dates back to 1819, when Captain Alden Partridge established the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy, which offered some of the nation's first courses in civil engineering and agriculture; and
Whereas, More than 53,000 students participate in 479 ROTC units having a presence at nearly 1,800 colleges and universities throughout the United States and its territories; and
Whereas, Since 1920, the Army ROTC program has commissioned more than 500,000 Army officers and the program is the Army's largest single source of commissioned officers; and
Whereas, In fiscal year 2012, the military services' ROTC programs collectively produced over 9,000 newly commissioned officers, accounting for nearly half of all new active duty officers commissioned that year; and
Whereas, ROTC programs have a presence at 19 colleges and universities throughout New Jersey and an active membership of over 400 students; and
Whereas, Seventy officers were commissioned across all branches of the military from ROTC programs based at New Jersey colleges and universities in 2012; and
Whereas, ROTC programs at colleges and universities provide students with the skills, training, and experience necessary to become officers in the United States military and leaders in business and industry; and
Whereas, More than 500,000 students participate in JROTC programs at 3,400 secondary schools nationwide; and
Whereas, Nearly 40 percent of high schools that offer JROTC are located in inner-city areas, and about half of JROTC enrollees are minorities; and
Whereas, JROTC participants tend to have lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates, and display higher self-esteem, especially among minority and female participants; and
Whereas, JROTC programs encourage their cadets to be involved in their local communities by participating in various fund-raising activities to benefit their respective units and by volunteering their time to assist food banks, remove litter in the community, and visit the elderly and the sick; and
Whereas, JROTC teaches high school students the values of citizenship, leadership, teamwork, service to the community, self-esteem, personal responsibility, self-discipline, and a sense of accomplishment; and
Whereas, The success of the United States military depends upon a consistent influx of well-trained and civic-minded leaders; and
Whereas, ROTC and JROTC programs maintain a critical link between the United States military and civilian populations; and
Whereas, ROTC and JROTC programs' geographically diverse presence is credited with helping to preserve the citizen-soldier tradition of producing officers that reflect the communities they serve, and provides the possibility of a military career to students who otherwise would not have considered it to be an option; and
Whereas, ROTC and JROTC programs have provided a solid foundation for generations of Americans who have experienced success in both military and civilian life; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House acknowledges the 50th anniversary of the "Reserve Officers' Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964" and expresses support for New Jersey's Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs in colleges and universities and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs in high schools.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Adjutant General of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, the Secretary of the United States Department of Defense, and the State Board of Education.
STATEMENT
This resolution acknowledges the 50th anniversary of the "Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Vitalization Act of 1964" and expresses support for New Jersey's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs in colleges and universities and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs in high schools. ROTC and JROTC programs were established by the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded by the "Reserve Officers' Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964." The tradition of military instruction on civilian college campuses, however, dates back to 1819 when Captain Alden Partridge established the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy. This institution offered some of the first courses devoted to civil engineering and agriculture available in the United States.
JROTC and ROTC programs maintain a critical link between this county's military and civilian populations. JROTC programs encourage their cadets to be involved in their local communities by volunteering their time to assist their neighbors and support local charities. The programs impart to students the values of citizenship, leadership, teamwork, service to the community, self-esteem, personal responsibility, self-discipline, and a sense of accomplishment.
Over 53,000 students on nearly 1,800 college campuses participate in ROTC. Over 500,000 students at 3,400 secondary schools participate in JROTC. ROTC has a presence at 19 colleges and universities in New Jersey and over 400 active members. ROTC and JROTC programs strive to provide students with the experience and training necessary to become officers in the United States military and achieve success in civilian life. ROTC and JROTC programs have been successful in meeting or exceeding these goals. JROTC participants tend to have lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates, and display higher self-esteem, especially among minority and female cadets.
ROTC is the largest source of newly commissioned officers for the Department of Defense. The military services' ROTC programs collectively produced over 9,000 newly commissioned officers in 2012, accounting for nearly half of all new active duty officers commissioned in that year. ROTC programs based at New Jersey colleges and universities produced 70 commissioned officers in 2012. ROTC and JROTC programs provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in their future endeavors. This resolution expresses support for ROTC and JROTC programs throughout the State.
