'The World Wouldn’t Be So Mean'

• Kaitlyn Lichtley was only 4 years old on Sept. 11, 2001.

Today at age 14, she has a clear view of how the terrorist attacks changed the world.

“We know there are bad people out there,” she said. “I hope that we could change the world.”

JROTC helped her learn that’s a possibility. Kaitlyn is in her second year of the program at Pottstown High School. 

“I’ve just learn a lot. It’s more than I ever expected,” she said of the program’s focus on teamwork. “If we all work together and we help each other out, it will have a greater effect on our future … and the world wouldn’t be so mean.” 

• Amber Lichtley, 17 -- Kaitlyn Lichtley’s sister -- is in the Pottstown graduating class of 2012. She’s in her fourth year of JROTC and will enter the U.S. Army National Guard after high school.

• Stacey Wright, 18, is a Pottstown 2011 graduate and former JROTC student at the school.

“(JROTC) provides a basic in drills, understanding of history and culture,” she said. “It teaches you to be in the real world.”

She plans to join the U.S. Air Force.

“My family is all very patriotic … It’s all very emotional for my family.”

• Janessia Fontan, 17, is a 2011 Pottstown graduate and former JROTC student.

She hopes to join the U.S. Air Force after attending college. 

“(In JROTC) we learned to get along and work as a team,” she said. “It helps you get comfortable with each other. We get every type of person in here (and) we actually bond like a family.”