Junior ROTC cadets see realities of war

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

When she first heard that one of the American soldiers captured in Iraq over the weekend was a woman, Centennial High School senior and Navy junior ROTC member Holly Sanford shuddered.

"I'm one of those people who doesn't believe women should be on the front lines," said Sanford, who will be attending Washington State University next fall on a full Reserve Officer Training Corps nursing scholarship. "There are more bad things they can do to a woman than to a man, no matter how tough she is."

But the specter of battle hasn't changed Sanford's mind about military service. Her grandfather, retired from the Air Force as senior master sergeant, frequently voiced his own opposition to women in the military until he saw Sanford in uniform at a family dinner, she said.

"I think I've convinced him there are plenty of opportunities for advancement and responsibility for women that don't involve combat positions," she said. "I fully intend to contribute."

With live video feeds of fire fights airing daily from the war zone in Iraq, the realities of war seem closer than they ever have to cadets in Centennial's JROTC program, now in its second year.

Sanford, who's used to getting stares from classmates when she wears her smartly trimmed uniform to school, said the number of people who comment on her outfit or ask questions has increased in recent weeks -- a comment echoed by other members of the unit.

Some students admire the merit ribbons or braid trim, Sanford said. But other students have taken to coming up behind the JROTC and singing, "In the Navy," a late 1970s hit for the Village People.

"You just let it roll off you," Sanford said.

Centennial has 265 students in the JROTC, which offers students physical education and elective credits.

Of the Clark County School District's 33 high schools, 14 have JROTC programs with anywhere from 100 to 300 students participating on each campus. In addition to classes, the students compete in drill teams and scholastic competitions against units from around the country.

At Clark High School, where the Navy JROTC has been in place for eight years, roughly 20 percent of the students who participate end up enlisting in the military, said retired Navy Chief Petter Officer Ross Bulda, who coordinates the program. Since the Iraq conflict began intensifying in recent weeks, more students than usual have been dropping by the JROTC office and asking about the program, Bulda said.

"There's been a spike in student interest, definitely," Bulda said Monday. "A lot of the kids seem more curious about what it is we do."

Centennial senior Steven Kiss, commander of his school's unit, said: "Some of our peers are unclear on the concept of JROTC, they think we've signed up for war. I've had people ask me when I'm shipping out."

Kiss, who has been accepted at both the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, said it's the structure and organization of military life that first interested him, not the prospect of fighting wars.

"It's going to be my honor to serve my country, and I'm willing to do whatever I'm asked to do," Kiss said. "But I'm also hoping this is a quick war that ends very soon."

It's one thing to read about battles in a history book; It's entirely something else to watch live footage of platoons of soldiers moving through sandstorms thousands of miles away, said retired Navy Capt. Edward Hardeman, who oversees Centennial's JROTC.

"We're seeing a new level of awareness," said Hardeman, who retired from the Navy after serving 33 years. "They're reading newspapers and seeing things on television that are giving them a more realistic look at what war can really mean."

Contrary to popular belief, JROTC is not a recruitment program, Hardeman said.

"Our first goal is to see our kids graduate with a regular diploma and become productive members of the community," Hardeman said. "After that, if they go on to college, that's wonderful. If they go on to the military, that's great too."

Several of Centennial's seniors have already elected to choose military careers. Alex Temple, who plans to become a Navy medic, is due in Great Lakes, Ill., Aug. 27 for basic training.

Temple, who plans to become a pediatrician, said he doubts he would ever be college-bound if it weren't for the JROTC program at Centennial. Since enrolling 18 months ago, Temple has brought his failing grades up to a C average and plans to raise them more this spring.

"I've learned to be more disciplined and set goals for myself," said Temple, who is the assistant operations officer for the unit and also a member of Centennial's varsity swim team. "I'm on the right track now."