"...but there is a principle involved - and a 40-year debt to be paid. The programs that were unceremoniously run off of many of America’s elite campuses need to be reinstated to make the point not only that they have the right to be there but that they belong there."
Yep, and a lot of these schools were federal Land Grant Institutions whose states were granted land and money for these schools. Part of the grant required these schools to offer ROTC, though ROTC was never limited to Land Grant schools (LGS). So, when many of the LGS stopped offering ROTC, I was disappointed that there were no repercussions, such as ending research grants, and insured student loan programs.
Here's a list of LGSs, if anyone cares to peruse it.
en.wikipedia.org
Anyway, I'm pleased that when my son went off to college wanting to participate in ROTC, it was available for him. Moreover, he earned an ROTC scholarship that paid for his last two years of school, saving me a lot money (which I gave him at his commissioning ceremony). He's coming up on 3 years on active duty now, a Captain with plans toward embassy duty.
I'm biased, but I think a campus without ROTC can't be "fair and balanced". Certainly many numbers of them are not the pillars of tolerance and diversity - examples to the rest of the country - they are supposed be, and once were. |
