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Thursday, July 2, 2009 9:13 PM CDT
Cadets see military history playing out in Iraq conflict
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
Sometimes, Sgt. Todd Stokes sometimes applies a brake on current events discussions among JROTC students at Mattoon High School.
“I’ll ask if any of them have brothers or sisters serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. I want people to know and so I can watch out for them,” said the Persian Gulf War veteran, who has taught ROTC at the college level, too.
If not for summer vacation, a current events session for the JROTC cadets might have produced an interesting discussion on American troops withdrawing from major Iraqi cities. It is considered one of the first steps in an eventual draw down of the American military mission in Iraq.
“I do think it is a milestone. It is a flashback to our history when our country was founded. I think it’s time for the Iraqis to stand on their own feet. But we still have to realize even though we gained our independence it still took some time for us to form an effective government. And we still work on our form of government everyday,” said Stokes, a student of history and a retired infantryman.
“We’re the guys who go door to door,” he joked.
Lt. Col. Stephen Knotts is getting used to a new posting as head of the ROTC program at Eastern Illinois University. The artillery officer had two tours of duty in Iraq.
He also taught ROTC classes at Ohio University 10 years ago so he will experience military education with the pre- and post-9/11 generations. He does not see much of a difference in the outlooks for young people from those eras.
“They are pretty much the same, in my opinion. They want to serve their country and gain leadership skills. And they are looking for money to help for college,” said Knotts.
But he realizes the events of the last several years have raised the concerns for some parents of ROTC students.
“I have talked to parents of a couple incoming freshmen with ROTC. One parent mentioned the worry of going (on deployment),” Knotts said.
Will the downgrading of the military presence in Iraq increase enrollment in ROTC in coming years? Knotts said the intensity of the Iraq War did not have an adverse effect at Eastern.
“I studied the history of the ROTC program here, and there were no significant changes either way over the last five years. I do not foresee a significant change in ROTC enrollment because of any changes in deployments,” he said. “There are many reasons why people become part of ROTC. Those reasons are going to be there in the future.”
Stokes, who grew up in Indiana, believes Midwesterners seem to have a high sense of obligation to their country. That is reflected in the high number of military veterans in Coles County. He makes sure the cadets have interactions with many veterans, but it is about more than just hitching up with the service.
“We’re not a military recruitment program. We teach them leadership and civic duty,” Stokes said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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