Last Veteran's Day Parade for the San Francisco JROTC?

Cinnamon Stillwell's Blog ^ | 11/13/7 | Cinnamon Stillwell

[SmithL]

San Francisco's anti-military shenanigans are legion and have been commented on by yours truly on many an occasion. Earlier this year, for instance, I noted the decision by the San Francisco Board of Education to phase out the JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps)from the city's public schools, despite the protestations of students and their families.

So when this year's Veteran's Day Parade rolled around, I couldn't help but wonder whether or not the JROTC would be making an appearance. Sure enough, the usual contigent of JROTC cadets marched in the 2007 parade, but, according to this SFGate article, it may have been their final opportunity:

Sunday may have marked the last time that San Francisco high school students in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or JROTC, will anchor the Veterans Day parade. The city school board voted last year to phase out the military-linked program, with trustees citing the military's policy on homosexual soldiers, among other things.

"Today is an opportunity for JROTC to show San Francisco what we're all about," said Eric Xu, a Galileo High School junior who wore a green uniform and white gloves as his school's color guard commander during the parade. "JROTC is one of those things that can change people for the better - I've seen that myself."

[SmithL]

(On Tuesday, the school board will revisit the issue and may approve a one-year extension of the program through the 2008-09 school year.)As indicated in that last item, it seems it's up to the not-so-good graces of the San Francisco Board of Education to decide, yet again, whether the JROTC stays or goes. Judging by this additional observation from the same article, I wouldn't hold my breath:

Also marching were the Veterans for Peace, who were joined by San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. At City Hall, they stopped and repeated the chant, "War is not a game."

As long as San Francisco officials continue to collude with so-called peace activists to stab the U.S. military in the back - all the while pretending that by marching once a year in a parade it will all be forgotten - the anti-military stench in this city isn't likely to abate any time soon.

For the sake of the JROTC and Bay Area veterans, I'm glad to see that the Veteran's Day Parade lives on in San Francisco. But it's no coincidence that, each year, the attending crowds get smaller and smaller. And it's hard to escape the conclusion that our nation's veterans, not to mention active duty personnel in a time of war, deserve better. Much better.

[SmithL]

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[Harmless Teddy Bear]

At City Hall, they stopped and repeated the chant, "War is not a game.

And as JROTC does Funeral Duty I suspect they know that rather well.

I think JROTC is a excellent program. But JROTC has been controversial for a long time and the kids are a easy target for the peace and love thugs.

My husband was in JROTC. Because of it his school deliberately screwed things up so he lost a full scholarship to the state university. No this was not in SF, it was in a relatively conservative part of the mid-west.