ENOLA, Pa. — The Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, or NJROTC, is a new program at East Pennsboro High School in Cumberland County that was started last year.
Robert Rainis, after serving in the Marine Corps for 22 years, moved back to Pennsylvania last year to start the NJROTC program at East Pennsboro High School.
“I was like alright, well, ya know, when my time is up in the Military, what is one way that I can actually still try to mentor youth and looking at the ROTC program I thought this was the best way to do that," Rainis tells FOX43.
Though there were challenges in starting off a new program and classes during the pandemic, Rainis was happy to have students join and help get the program off the ground.
Devin Uhrich, a senior NJROTC member, was happy to find this program and join last year.
“So basically it’s a program just for kids to come out. We do PT, drill stuff, a lot of naval history, anything that really relates to the Navy," Uhrich says. "But it’s not just about that, it’s also about core values of just being a US citizen as well, being as good of a citizen as you can be.”
All grade levels are eligible to participate and even more students joined the program for their second year.
The program includes classes taken with Rainis on history, navigation, fitness, and leadership. Another staple of the program is community service. Last year the group participated in Wreaths Across America and helped the American Legion as well.
Uhrich tells FOX43 he’s hoping to pursue higher education next year and is considering the Air Force or the Naval Academy, though going into service is not the goal of this program.
“It’s to make you a better citizen, it’s to help you in life, not just in the military. It’s, you know like I mentioned earlier, if you want to go to college, if you want to go to the workforce, it helps you all along the way," says Rainis.