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The Reserve Officer Training Corps had its beginning in 1862 when Congress passed the Morrill Act. This Act provided grants of land for educational institutions which would include, among other things, military science in their curriculum. These institutions were known as Land Grant Colleges. Other laws were subsequently enacted to elaborate on the program. The most significant of these was the ROTC Vitalization Act passed in 1964. This Act enlarged the Junior ROTC Program from 252 Army sponsored schools to 1,200 and included Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Units.
From 1920 through World War II, all able-bodied males under the age of 21 who attended a Land Grant College were required to take two years of ROTC training. This requirement was dropped in 1946. Other major changes have been made and continue to be made, but the Services monitor the programs for curricular, numbers involved, scholarship requirements and program management to ensure that a dynamic and viable program is in place for all services.
HISTORY AND CONCEPT OF JUNIOR AND SENIOR ROTC
SOJOURNERS' ROTC/JROTC PROGRAM
National Sojourners ROTC Award for Americanism
The National Sojourners ROTC Awards are authorized by service regulations for presentation to Senior and Junior ROTC Cadets or Midshipmen of the Army, Navy or Air Force and Junior Marine ROTC Cadets. Appropriate regulations of the various Services have been published which establish the criteria for the National Sojourners' Award.
(See Army -- AR 145-1 and AR 145-2; Air Force -- AFROTCM 900-6; Navy -- OPNAV Notic 1650)
Individuals to receive awards will be selected by the ROTC Staff of the institutions based upon basic criteria established by the Service regarding academic standards, class enrollment, etceteras. The National Sojourners criteria is that the recipient must have encouraged and demonstrated the ideals of Americanism by deed or conduct or both and that the recipient demonstrated a potential for outstanding leadership. There is no restriction on the award based upon race, religion or sex.
Past President Major Gary M. Portnoy presents the
National Sojourner Medal to a student at Bensalem HS 23 May 2013.
President/Past President Major Gary M. Portnoy presents the
National Sojourner Medal to CADET MATTHEW SCHAPPERT – MS III, Valley Forge Military Academy May 2022
.
Cpl Tom Spoltore, USMC presents the National Sojourners Medal Major Gary M. Portnoy USAF ret. presents the Sojourners JROTC to a Bensalem HS Student Medal 2023 to a Deardorff HS Student in Allentown 2023
Sojourner Gene Frick presents the Sojourners Medal at Lenape High School JROTC in New Jersey.
LCDR Winton Hewitt presents the Sojourners Medal
at Widener University 2024
Sojourner Major Gary Portnoy presents the Sojourners Medal at Pennsbury High School JROTC .
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