Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dwight Morse had the credentials to teach almost anywhere, with a Bachelor of Science in Russian and Soviet studies and a master's in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin.
He was a professor of military science at the University of Mississippi before arriving at North Salem High School nearly 30 years ago. Before that, he taught English at West Point and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
"He could have done anything," former student Sarah Kester said.
Morse retired from active duty in 1995 to return to his native state and help launch the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program at North Salem, the first in the Willamette Valley and third in the state.
He oversaw the development of the program, which today is recognized regionally and nationally for educating and training its cadets. Nearly 3,000 have come through the North Salem JROTC program, with about one-third attending college.
The Viking battalion has earned more than a dozen top-five finishes at national drill competitions, performed lead color guard duties in numerous parades and dedication ceremonies, and, perhaps most importantly, logged hundreds of hours of community service each year.
Current and former cadets gathered at the school Saturday to celebrate Morse's career. He retired at the end of the school year.
Organizers convinced him to wear his uniform for part of the festivities — under the guise of cadets wanting one last photograph with him — so that the Oregon Military Department and Oregon National Guard could present him with the Oregon Distinguished Service Medal, their highest state award.
The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, sent a note of congratulations for his 50 years of service to the Army and the North Salem JROTC program. Hokanson is a fellow West Point graduate and former Oregon Adjutant General.
"You leave an extraordinary legacy and I am grateful for your exemplary service and mentorship to so many young men and women," Hokanson wrote. "Your uncompromising leadership has undoubtedly influenced multiple generations of service members and cadets, and your positive impact to the state of Oregon and our Nation will be felt for many years to come."
JROTC teaches leadership, character and community service
Morse was born and raised in Portland, graduating from Lincoln High School in 1970 and receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy .
He graduated from West Point in 1974 with a commission as a second lieutenant in the field artillery. He served in various positions and units in the U.S., Germany and Korea, including command of two batteries and assignments as a battalion and brigade operations officer.
His final active duty assignment was as a professor of military science at Ole Miss, where he was responsible for preparing senior ROTC cadets to become commissioned officers. It was there he was first exposed to Junior ROTC.
The federally-funded elective program, in partnership with each branch of service, is designed to train high school students in leadership, character and community service. Retired service members are typically the instructors.
Students, called cadets, learn military history and customs. They wear a uniform once a week, provided free by the Army, encouraging pride in appearance and attention to detail. They earn ribbons to recognize their accomplishments and promotions based on their performance. They take part in physical fitness training and drill instruction.
Participation does not obligate them to join the military after high school.
The Army touts the program as arguably one of the most successful and significantly impactful youth-oriented programs in American history. Studies have found positive correlations between JROTC participation and student outcomes, including school attendance and graduation rates, improved test performance, higher self-esteem for female students, and lower rates of disciplinary action.
The U.S. Army’s JROTC program operates in more than 1,700 public and private high schools, military institutions and correctional centers throughout the U.S. and overseas, mentoring approximately 314,000 cadets annually.
Enrollment in 1995 pilot program doubled in four years
The Salem community initially met the program with resistance.
The school board rejected an effort in 1972 to establish an Air Force JROTC program at McNary High School in Keizer. Opposition more than two decades later was not as vigorous. (Note: McNary eventually did start a program, although it was eliminated during the district's recent budget cuts).
In the fall of 1995, when North Salem launched its program, there were at least four other active programs across the state. Until then, Roseburg had the only JROTC in Oregon for about 20 years.
The addition of JROTC came when educators across the state struggled to find new ways to reach out to at-risk students who might not stay in school. Critics argued it taught students to take orders instead of solve problems, glorified war and acted as a recruiting effort for the military.
North Salem signed a contract with the Army for a five-year pilot program, with a review after two years. The district would decide whether it would continue.
Ninety-three students enrolled that first fall and the program passed muster.
Enrollment doubled within four years.
Cadets participated in one class period a day, wore uniforms to school once a week, learned discipline and leadership skills, and performed hundreds of hours of community service. And they have been doing that ever since.
Morse saw community service as not just a public relations ploy or a way to look good in the community but a valuable teaching tool, providing opportunities to test leadership and teamwork.
'He is the reason so many kids graduated'
The camaraderie Morse helped nurture spans classes, even generations. About 700 former cadets belong to a Facebook group and stay connected.
Kester, who graduated from North Salem in 2004, said she made lifelong friends through JROTC. It also is where she met her future husband, Shaun, a 2001 graduate.
She wanted that for her daughter, too, encouraging her to join JROTC.
"She really didn't want to do it, but I asked her to give me just one semester," Kester said.
Caitlin Kester participated all four years, capping her career as the commander of the color guard that placed third at the National High School Drill Team Championships in the unarmed dual exhibition.
Her mom helped organize the celebration for Morse, whom she said has a reputation for bringing the best out of his cadets and providing for them whenever necessary.
"Everybody who comes through is one of his kids," Sarah Kester said. "Anything you need, he is there, from buying a kid a pair of tennis shoes to making sure they had a ride home from practice or to practice.
"He is the reason so many kids graduated."
Connected, competent and committed
Col. Russell Gibson, commander of the 82nd Troop Command Brigade, presented the award to Morse on behalf of Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, the adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard.
"He talks about three things in our organization and that is, be connected, be competent and be committed," Gibson said of the adjutant general. "And you display all three of those in spades. Connected to this community, connected to your students; competent in your skills, competent in your training and your mentorship; and holy cow, committed, 29 years here at the Junior ROTC program.
"I am honored and moved just to be here to say, 'Thank you.'"
Morse spoke briefly after the presentation, thanking his former cadets for attending the celebration, some of whom he had not seen in 20-25 years.
"I am very happy and very grateful to have had you all in my classes over this period of time," Morse said. "You made me a better man, a better leader, a better soldier."
Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com , and follow her work on X @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Longtime North Salem JROTC instructor retires, earns medal from National Guard
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