JROTC and NPS Collaboration – Expanding Our Stories

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the course of the 2018-19 academic years, the National Park Service’s Washington, DC Office of Interpretation, Education and Volunteers (WASO IEV), with support from Kutztown University, has overseen a series of pilot programs aimed to facilitate unique, place-based learning experiences in national parks for military youth throughout the United States. At the heart of this program lies an exploration of topics that may not be readily apparent in a participating national park’s narratives including themes of “relevancy, diversity, and inclusion.”

Each pilot experience paired high school students participating in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and university students (majoring in history or education) with a national park. Prior to arriving at the park, the JROTC students were each tasked with creating a presentation on a topic that they felt was important and related to the park’s story. The university students then created lesson plans on larger themes to administer to the JROTC students. While on site, Rangers and Interpretive staff also provided an in-depth overview of the park’s history. All three groups were able to collaboratively learn and explore together.

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Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) JROTC cadets visit Texas frontier forts. March, 2019.

The first of these programs took place at Fort Davis National Park in February during Black History Month. Students from Fort Worth ISD JROTC and the University of Texas Arlington History Department (UTA) traveled to study the significance of the Buffalo Soldiers and Texas frontier forts. Many of the participants—students and teachers— each came on the trip with different expectations, but were all united in their excitement of learning about military themes in a living history environment.

The following experiences have covered a number of topics in national parks throughout the country. In April, Omaha-area JROTC Air Force and Army cadets and students from the University Wisconsin La Crosse (UW-La) came together to study Cold War era themes at Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota. In May, Aztec High School JROTC and Dine College met at Canyon De Chelly National Park to study the Long Walk of the Navajo—the 1864 deportation and attempted ethnic cleansing of the Navajo People. Additionally, students from Glendale JROTC and Cal Poly Pomona met at both Manzanar National Historic Site and César E. Chávez National Monument to study the legacies of soldiers who fought abroad in World War II while fighting discrimination at home.

Many of the cadets who participated on these trips come from diverse backgrounds themselves, and a major component of this program involved fostering connections of identity to America’s important places and history. A number of the students who visited Canyon De Chelly have Navajo heritage, and on this trip were able to both share and see their stories represented as a part of the greater American story. Many visiting César E. Chávez National Monument have Mexican American heritage and reported feeling a significant connection to the site.

The ultimate goal of this NPS and JROTC collaboration is in part to empower students to expand upon the American historical narrative, but more so to foster in them the ability to find their own stories as they continue their careers in the military and beyond. As this collaborative model continues to develop, WASO IEV aims to create a polished blueprint that JROTC can adopt throughout the nation, to continue these efforts to provide students with place-based learning opportunities, field service work, and keep making connections with the country’s national parks.

Where this belongs

• Canyon de Chelly National Monument
• César E. Chávez National Monument
• Fort Davis National Historic Site
• Manzanar National Historic Site
• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

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