Editor’s Note: Student Union is written by students at Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, Old Town High School, MDI High School, Ashland Community High School and Schenck High School in East Millinocket. The weekly column is a joint effort among the schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. This column was written by Old Town High School students. Their adviser is Karen Marley.

Students who attend Old Town High School are being given an opportunity to participate in a new program.

Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps has been added to the curriculum. Initially, 55 students were enrolled in the Old Town battalion. Since September, that number has risen to 89 cadets. School officials are pleased with the number and diversity of students represented.

Cadet Capt. Jeremiah Wirth said that the JROTC program has “brought many different types of students together.” Wirth went on to say that the battalion is developing “a sense of unity.”

The program’s success can be attributed to the quality of the cadets’ instruction.

Lt. Col. Amadeo Lauria and Master Sgt. Michael Olsen are the program’s facilitators. Lauria, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., enlisted at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1973. Since his enlistment, Lauria has been stationed overseas and throughout the United States, including a posting at the Pentagon. He also was an instructor of military science at Indiana University.

Olsen was born in Spokane, Wash., and graduated from Washington State University. When Olsen was young, he never considered a military career and did not participate in JROTC. After he completed college, Olsen joined the Army for what he thought would be a four-year hitch; he stayed 241/2 years. Olsen previously was an ROTC instructor at the University of Maine before coming to OTHS this fall. Olsen and Lauria’s strong military backgrounds and experiences are providing the cadets with solid fundamentals of military practices.

JROTC is Army-funded and has a military structure, but the program does not focus exclusively on military training and etiquette. JROTC is a program that can be beneficial to any student whether he or she aspires to join the military or not. Many JROTC cadets, however, do plan to enlist after graduation. There is fundamental instruction in areas as diverse as geography and wellness. Life skills such as decision making, leadership, respect and responsibility also are addressed. Lauria says that the primary goal of the program is “to motivate young people to become better citizens.”

Class time often is spent discussing Army values, leadership principles, and the structure of the military. Some of the Army values discussed are loyalty, duty and respect. Leadership principles that cadets explore include staying technically and tactically proficient, knowing oneself, seeking self-improvement, setting an example, and seeking and accepting responsibility.

The JROTC program is building a strong connection between the students and the Old Town community. JROTC helps to evoke leadership among young adults, validates their skills, and provides them with tactics to achieve success in whatever fields they might choose. Cadet Lt. Shawn Bennett thinks highly of his experience to date and speaks for many of his fellow cadets when he says he wishes he had had the opportunity to be a part of a JROTC program earlier.

Through extracurricular activities such as color guard, drill team and marksmanship team, the cadets are developing feelings of honor and pride. When JROTC cadets wear their uniforms to school, they wear them with them an aura of confidence. Many other students at school recognize the cadets’ pride and show them respect for their choices.

The manner in which JROTC members present themselves is highly defined by the regulations of the program. The first and most obvious aspect of a cadet’s presentation is his dress. The fashion that they follow is regulated by a strict code. They are required to wear a uniform once a week for inspection and on days when they have formal assemblies. The uniform consists of Army-green slacks, a garrison cap, an Army-green coat and an assortment of accessories.

Another aspect of the code of conduct is the demeanor with which cadets present themselves. Cadets are taught dining etiquette and greeting and addressing; Lauria and Olsen also work with cadets to assist them in developing respect for others, especially elders and those in positions of authority.

Physical training, also known by the cadets as PT, is employed in most areas of the armed forces, including JROTC. However, only the active Army uses physical training as a method of punishment. JROTC cadets are not subject to harsh penalties, such as “Drop and give me 50!” Old Town’s JROTC program soon will begin an active physical training program with the expressed goal of developing a positive attitude toward exercise, a desire for physical challenges and a continued healthy living style among all cadets.

Though physical training, etiquette, responsibility and leadership are keys to the program, there is much more to JROTC than we have shared here. We find that JROTC is a wonderful program that contributes to a sense of fellowship in both the high school and its surrounding communities.