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Not everyone is as receptive to JROTC's soft nudge into the rank and file. "I enjoyed [JROTC], but I never wanted to pursue a career in the military," says the Rev. Edward Cook, 27, a former JROTC cadet and a 1993 graduate of Jackson's Forest Hill High School. Still, as a seminary student and director of the day-care center at Greater New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Cook says those old experiences in JROTC are proving relevant in his work today. "The same truths you learn in JROTC you will also find in the Bible," Cook says, "especially being accountable not just for yourself but for the people around you." It's a valuable lesson to learn. The question is whether JROTC is the only way to teach it.