Gloucester Alumni

Douglas A. Moser
Staff Writer Gloucester Daily Times

The man who led the high school's Junior ROTC program from 1996 to 2005 is returning to fill the recently-vacated top spot.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Richard "Gunner" Muth, who was the lead instructor when the Marine Corps program began in Gloucester in 1996, agreed last week to return from Lynn English High School, where he has been teaching for the last two years.

There had been an Army Junior ROTC program at Gloucester High School for about a century until it was canceled in the mid-1980s.

"It's kind of unfinished business," Muth said of his reasons for coming back. "When I left two years ago, we were one of the top programs in the country. I've seen it struggle through some hard times."

While there had been uncertainty about the program's future in the last two years, ROTC students have competed very well, winning awards and recognition at national events.

Muth said the program reached an enrollment as high as 200 students during his tenure. This fall, according to Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Serrano and Sgt. Maj. Rod Wilday, there are 103 students enrolled. Wilday was the lead instructor for two years, but resigned in June to take a similar position nearer his home in Albany, N.Y.

Muth met with Serrano and some of the program's student leaders Monday to discuss the program and to reintroduce himself.

The students "are excited," Serrano said. "The seniors were freshmen when (Muth) was here and a lot of them remember him."

Muth, who was in the Marines for 22 years, said he officially begins Sept. 1, but will be at the high school for the first day of school Aug. 28.

"You've got experienced people who know the community and who know some of the kids," said School Committee Chairman Jonathan Pope.

Pope said he has not yet heard if any additional funding requests are coming to the committee to pay for the position. About $40,000 was budgeted for the School Department's contribution to Wilday's salary and that will be applied to Muth's pay.

Superintendent Christopher Farmer, who reached an agreement with Muth, was unavailable for comment.

The pay of a Junior ROTC instructor, who must be retired from service before becoming eligible to teach, comes from three sources: the School Department, the Marine Corps and a retirement pension.

Federal law and contracts between schools and the U.S. Department of Defense require that programs have two instructors certified by the Marine Corps. One must be an officer and one a staff noncommissioned officer.

The Marine Corps placed the Gloucester Junior ROTC program on probation last year and warned it would eliminate it unless the schools hired a second instructor by June 1 of this year.

Even after Serrano was hired, the program found itself on probation for not having the minimum of 100 students. Last year, it had 81 cadets. Serrano was confident the program would have at least the minimum number of students this year.

Besides Gloucester, Marine Corps JROTC programs are offered at seven public high schools in Massachusetts, including Beverly, Salem, Haverhill and Lynn English high schools. There are 221 Marine JROTC schools in the United States.