JROTC History & The MRB
United States Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC)
The United States Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) came into being with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. Under the provisions of the Act, high schools were authorized the loan of federal military equipment and the assignment of active duty military personnel as instructors. In 1964, the Vitalization Act opened JROTC up to the other services and replaced most of the active duty instructors with retirees who worked for and were cost shared by the schools.
Montpelier Rifle Battalion (MRB)
The Orange County High School JROTC program was established under the authority of Public Law 88-64, in the ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964 and Army Regulation 145-2. It was formally brought into service by Paragraph 1 of General Order #9 Headquarters, Department of the Army, dated 20 May, 1985.
Why we were named the Montpelier Rifle Battalion?
Since its' beginning on the 20th of May 1985, the Cadets of Orange County High School have taken historic pride in referring to themselves as the Montpelier Rifle Battalion (MRB) JROTC. According to legend, during the Revolutionary War, some of the local militia referred to themselves as the "Montpelier Rifles". This was in association with the Montpelier Estate and its owner James Madison who is known as the "Father of our Constitution" and later, 4th President of the United States.
