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ROTC SEEING RISE IN FEMALE MEMBERSHIP

By Deborah Horn/SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL
Saturday, November 28, 2009 10:01 PM CST

In the opening salvo of last month’s NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet, Arberjean Anderson and three other young women made their way center stage.

Pine Bluff High School Air Force ROTC’s Arberjean Anderson is one of four girls posting the colors at the NAACP’s Freedom Fund Banquet in October. Special to The Commercial/Deborah Horn

All eyes were on the female representatives of Pine Bluff High School’s Air Force ROTC program, and their job as color guard was “the posting” of the American and Arkansas flags at the annual event that brought in several hundred guests to the Pine Bluff Convention Center.

Arberjean, who looks like she would be more comfortable texting a friend than pulling on heavy, highly shined black boots and shouldering a rifle, and the three other members of the high school’s ROTC Color Guard executed their moves — done in absolute unison — flawlessly, with all military precision expected of their male counterparts.

“I was a little nervous,” Arberjean, an 11th grade student, admitted a few minutes later as she nibbled on a salad.

While many of the evening’s guests might have been more accustomed to a male color guard unit, in the Pine Bluff School District, female ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) members outnumber the males.

“There are more girls than guys. We have 70 females and 47 males enrolled in the program,” said Master Sergeant Jim Cox.

Of the program’s 117 students, only 12 students earned the right to be on the color guard. Of those students, only one is male.

PBHS Principal Kelvin Gragg isn’t surprised at the number of girls in ROTC; instead, he believes their numbers reflect the growing number of females joining the military and filling leadership roles.

Although the high school girls made posting and retrieving the colors look easy, Cox said it takes dedication.

The color guard unit spends one hour per week practicing its routine.

Of course, long before learning how to handle, position and fold the flag with all the respect of an Air Force color guard unit, the members learn to march and complete basic drills.

“It isn’t easy,” said Cox, who spent more than 23 years in the Air Force before starting a second career as an ROTC instructor. This is his 25th year at PBHS.

Cox, who attended the NAACP dinner, admits he watches his students a little nervously — much like a parent at their child’s first piano recital. However, there were no mistakes that evening.

“They stayed on step,” he said proudly.

The value of the program

A few weeks later in the busy principal’s office, Arberjean explained her reasons for joining the ROTC in the ninth grade.

It was the right decision for me, she said.

Would she recommend the program to other students?

“Definitely,” she said.

Nearby, 10th-grader Ashley Dodd said her admiration and respect for Arberjean is the reason she plans to join the program next year.

To Gragg, the ROTC program is every bit as vital to the success of some students as academic classes offerings or extracurricular activities such as football or band are to others.

“It’s a very valuable program, and teaches students organizational skills, responsibility and discipline,” he says.

In addition to high school credit, ROTC students are eligible to apply for the program’s scholarships.

Working toward a goal

10th-grader Beulah Hammett joined the ROTC because of the uniform, as well as the influence of three cousins who are serving in the Marines.

Her smile widened when asked if she was interested in being a pilot.

“I love it,” she said about the program. “It makes me a better citizen, a more organized person and is preparing me for the future.”

Cox beamed at Beulah’s words.

More than a program, Cox said as he pulled two small pins from a desk drawer, “We’re trying to prepare students for real life.”

Cox handed the pens to Beulah.

Again, she smiled.

The pins, wings with a flame in the center and worn on her dress shirt and jacket lapels, signify that Beulah has earned the rank of Cadet Airman — a small step in what she hopes will be a lifelong and rewarding career.

The pins, like the uniform, are important to Beulah.

“People look at you like you’re going to be somebody someday.”

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