Decatur's ROTC supporters rally
Navy holds to its plan to shut down program at school
BERLIN -- The Navy is steadfast in its resolve to shut down the Stephen Decatur High School Navy ROTC program, not swayed by an outpouring of community support pleading for reconsideration.
Community members, government officials, parents and students have bombarded the Navy with their pleas in a myriad of ways, despite the Navy's unwavering stance that 19 units nationwide will be shut down June 30, on the grounds they've consistently failed to meet enrollment requirements.
Letters have been written; e-mails have been sent. Some Stephen Decatur Navy ROTC alumni have made a website that showcases growing support the cause has garnered, and the front page of the school district's website is dominated by ROTC information.
Maryland Sens. Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski have joined Rep. Andy Harris, R-1st-Md, to work toward saving the program. They co-signed a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus that outlined the unit's importance to its cadets and the Worcester County community. The letter encourages Mabus to extend the program's probationary period, since initial registration for the
2011-12 school year shows enrollment of approximately 120 students.
The Navy requires 100 students participate in ROTC at schools with an enrollment of more than 1,000. Decatur's unit has 94 members this school year.
"We're going to work as hard as we can and do everything we can because this program is very important," Cardin said Thursday. "There is a growing number of cadets, and it shouldn't be terminated because of a technical reason, like a number, when the interest is clearly there."
Many ROTC backers have taken their concerns to Facebook, where Mabus' own virtual wall has been inundated with messages extolling the importance of maintaining the ROTC programs.
Bryan Hamilton, a Decatur ROTC alumnus, is among them. He wrote to Mabus and urged him to visit the alumni site -- which launched Wednesday -- where Mabus could see the articles and letters of support that have piled up since the shutdown decision was announced in late February.
"We have never seen our community rally as much as they have for this program in the past two weeks," Hamilton wrote.
Mabus responded to the many postings but offered no encouragement that the Navy might be mulling its options.
He thanked the posters who are concerned about their local ROTC programs, and acknowledged that the units are of great value to the Navy, cadets, their parents, school districts and local communities before writing: "Decisions to disestablish (Navy JROTC) units are not taken lightly and are the result of tight budgets."
Navy JROTC alumna Elizabeth Timmons said the support that's been drummed up is overwhelming, and she hopes it has an effect on the outcome.
"If it was up to the county or the senators or the state of Maryland, we would have it reversed already, but it's the Navy, and I know how the Navy is," Timmons said.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Naval Service Training Command, which oversees the nation's Navy ROTC units, had not changed its stance that the decision on the disestablishments was "pretty much set in stone," according to spokesperson Lt. Charity Hardison.
Visit the alumni site at sites.google.com/site/savenjrotc/ or the school district's site at www.worcesterk12.com.
410-213-9442, ext. 14
Community members, government officials, parents and students have bombarded the Navy with their pleas in a myriad of ways, despite the Navy's unwavering stance that 19 units nationwide will be shut down June 30, on the grounds they've consistently failed to meet enrollment requirements.
Letters have been written; e-mails have been sent. Some Stephen Decatur Navy ROTC alumni have made a website that showcases growing support the cause has garnered, and the front page of the school district's website is dominated by ROTC information.
Maryland Sens. Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski have joined Rep. Andy Harris, R-1st-Md, to work toward saving the program. They co-signed a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus that outlined the unit's importance to its cadets and the Worcester County community. The letter encourages Mabus to extend the program's probationary period, since initial registration for the
2011-12 school year shows enrollment of approximately 120 students.
The Navy requires 100 students participate in ROTC at schools with an enrollment of more than 1,000. Decatur's unit has 94 members this school year.
"We're going to work as hard as we can and do everything we can because this program is very important," Cardin said Thursday. "There is a growing number of cadets, and it shouldn't be terminated because of a technical reason, like a number, when the interest is clearly there."
Many ROTC backers have taken their concerns to Facebook, where Mabus' own virtual wall has been inundated with messages extolling the importance of maintaining the ROTC programs.
Bryan Hamilton, a Decatur ROTC alumnus, is among them. He wrote to Mabus and urged him to visit the alumni site -- which launched Wednesday -- where Mabus could see the articles and letters of support that have piled up since the shutdown decision was announced in late February.
"We have never seen our community rally as much as they have for this program in the past two weeks," Hamilton wrote.
Mabus responded to the many postings but offered no encouragement that the Navy might be mulling its options.
He thanked the posters who are concerned about their local ROTC programs, and acknowledged that the units are of great value to the Navy, cadets, their parents, school districts and local communities before writing: "Decisions to disestablish (Navy JROTC) units are not taken lightly and are the result of tight budgets."
Navy JROTC alumna Elizabeth Timmons said the support that's been drummed up is overwhelming, and she hopes it has an effect on the outcome.
"If it was up to the county or the senators or the state of Maryland, we would have it reversed already, but it's the Navy, and I know how the Navy is," Timmons said.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Naval Service Training Command, which oversees the nation's Navy ROTC units, had not changed its stance that the decision on the disestablishments was "pretty much set in stone," according to spokesperson Lt. Charity Hardison.
Visit the alumni site at sites.google.com/site/savenjrotc/ or the school district's site at www.worcesterk12.com.
410-213-9442, ext. 14
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