Speech #990056337

Junior ROTC units cannot be established in public schools where most students do not meet the citizenship criterion. Additionally. established units which undergo a population shift become nonviable when the majority of their students no longer meet the citizenship criterion. Closing these units deprives students. both citizens and noncitizens. of the benefits of the program. Finally. since the Junior ROTC Program is primarily intended to provide citizenship training. it is appropriate that it be made available to those young people residing in this country who do not have citizenship status. but will probably become citizens in the future. Mr. Chairman. legislation which would have enacted this change was first introduced by my predecessor in the 41st District of California. the Honorable Bob Wilson. Mr. Wilson and I had introduced legislation for this purpose to right a wrong that we observed in the way that the junior ROTC citizenship eligibility criterion had discriminated against Asian immigrants in the San Diego area. For example. we observed that in some cases those children that had risked their lives to escape communism in Vietnam and who were intending to become U.S. citizens at the earliest opportunity were denied equal standing in the Junior ROTC Programwhich I repeat is primarily a citizenship training program. We must no longer deny equal standing to these immigrants who have shown their love for this country by seeking to participate in Junior ROTC and who will one day become citizens. According to Mr. Don Yoder. the national chairman for Junior ROTC for the Military Orders of World Wars and who headed the Junior ROTC Program in San Diego for 15 years. this amendment will be extremely beneficial to the many immigrants who make up more than 50 percent of the San Diego High School student body. The Department of Defense informed me that they supported legislation I had introduced. H.R. 1439. which is essentially the same as the amendment I am offering today.