Honoring the Junior ROTC of Roxborough High School and its Drill Team.

WHEREAS, The Army Junior ROTC program was established by Congress in 1916 and expanded by Congress in 1964. Today, Junior ROTC operates 2800 programs with over 300,000 cadets participating. This program offers a unique opportunity for personal growth in self-discipline, confidence, organization, ethics, integrity and responsibility; and

WHEREAS, The stated mission of the JROTC is “to motivate young people to be better Americans,” but today's JROTC goes beyond that into areas of personal growth, working in areas such as time management, planning, organization, teamwork and goal-setting; and

WHEREAS, The Junior ROTC at Roxborough High School is the largest and most active program of its kind in this City. The participants earned the Honor Unit with Distinction award four years in a row; and in the last school year, students who were ranked first in their classes for 9th through 12th grades were all JROTC participants; and

WHEREAS, The Roxborough High School Junior ROTC also hosts a championship drill team. Its accomplishments include placing first in Regional Competition in 2001, winning the League 5 Competition in 2001, and enough other honors and tributes that they have been invited to compete in National High School JROTC Championships in Florida in May, 2002; now therefore

RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA THAT we hereby honor and commend the Roxborough High School Junior ROTC program and its Drill Team. We are persuaded that this program enhances the lives of all the young men who participate in it, and we congratulate them and the personnel who make it possible.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Russell A. Gallagher as evidence of the sincere respect and deep admiration of this legislative body.

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