BANGOR – The Bangor High School JROTC program began in 1861 and has the distinction of being the oldest high school JROTC program in the country.

Nationwide, ROTC became available to students with the National Defense Act of 1916.

The Bangor High program has been in existence for 144 years and is still going strong.

The school has three teams that compete under the auspices of JROTC – the drill team, color guard and the Raider Challenge Team. The drill team and color guard compete in the Northern New England League with teams from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The color guard was awarded first place in every competition it entered and the drill team took first place in 18 of the 20 events in which it participated. The Raider Challenge Team competed in three competitions this year, receiving two first place standings and one second place.

Team members compete in five events – a physical fitness test in which they do push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run; a one-rope bridge crossing in which they construct, cross and dismantle a one-rope bridge; a land navigation course; a written test; and a five-kilometer run. The competition begins at 6 a.m. and ends approximately eight hours later.

The culminating competition for New England takes place at Fort Devens, Mass. The team finished first for the fourth year in a row and the sixth time in the last nine years.

BHS student cadets sometimes decide to pursue a career in the military, and some never wear a uniform again. The intent is for them to gain an appreciation for what the military is all about and become better students and citizens for having participated in the program.

This year, BHS JROTC has a former Bangor High School student cadet, Chris Rankin, graduating from West Point. He is the fifth graduate of the program to graduate from a military academy in recent years.

In addition, Nicholas Goupee, cadet battalion commander, is entering West Point as a member of the Class of 2009. He has been a member of the JROTC battalion for four years.

He plans to become a commissioned officer while gaining a degree in political science. Goupee has been a member of the color guard, drill team and Raider Challenge Team for four years. This year, he was co-commander of the drill team and co-captain of the Raider Team. He is very active in his church and the community and has shown many examples of leadership in JROTC.

Two other avenues of opportunity that JROTC facilitates are ROTC scholarships to college and entering the military at a higher pay grade. The scholarship pays tuition, a book and fees allowance, and a monthly stipend of $250 for freshmen, $300 for sophomores, $350 for juniors and $400 for seniors. Some colleges and universities pay for room and board for ROTC scholarship winners because of the quality of the student-citizens they gain.

Another avenue is entrance into the military at a higher pay grade. This amounts to approximately $200 a month. The higher pay grade is awarded for having successfully completed three years of JROTC. All three avenues lead to the real road to success, which is education.

One of the social activities that JROTC has each year in is a military ball, organized by the cadets for the cadets. The seniors are in charge of the military ball, deciding on decorations, coordinating and supervising. There is a receiving line, a dinner, awards and promotions, and dancing. The students learn how to take part in a receiving line and show appropriate table manners and proper behavior for a formal evening.

Each year, the cadet battalion has a formal inspection. The battalion has achieved the highest rating by cadet command as an Honor Unit with Distinction for the last 10 years. This year, a new milestone was achieved – a perfect score of 1,000 points.

“The young people of Bangor have stepped up to many challenges in the school system; JROTC is only one of those challenges,” said Master Sgt. Bernice Dill, retired assistant senior army instructor. “Every citizen in the community can be proud of this school system and have confidence that the future of the community is in good hands with the young men and women who graduate and go on to become community leaders. They have demonstrated the ability and desire to succeed.”