ROTC Back to Harvard

Here is a link to a Harvard University Press Release on bringing Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC)♠ back to Harvard, after a decades long absence.

I admit that I had my doubts about ROTC coming back to Harvard (and some other colleges).  The discussion down at Columbia, where after a day of free and open discussion about ROTC a wounded Army Veteran from Afghanistan was heckled by the audience over what he had to say about the duty to serve.  The hecklers were well within their rights and the tradition of political debate in this nation and the nation from which we sprang—England.  On the other hand, they acted like total jerks.  They were well outside the mainstream in their treatment of a man who was visibly disabled by his time in combat.

But, back to President Faust and Harvard and ROTC.  There should be little doubt in anyone's mind that DADT♥ was legislation from the US Congress.  There should be little doubt that it grew out of a failure of nerve on the part of the President, who promised to end restrictions on homosexuals in the military.  There should be little doubt that Harvard, while keeping ROTC off campus (for years they have used the program at a local Land Grant college), they have brought in millions of dollars in programs from the US Government.

So, while President Faust was all righteous about DADT, the fact is that the military discriminates against a whole lot of people. These include the too fat, the too short, those with low mental capacity, usually those who haven't finished high school and those with more than minor criminal histories.  And, when recruiting is good, the military is more discriminating than when recruiting is hard.

But, back to Harvard, I, for one, welcome this change on the part of Harvard.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  And, per the press release, in the future, programs from other Services.
♥  Don't Ask, Don't Tell.