Published: April 06, 2011
Cadets Converge on Camp Atterbury
By Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs
CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER CENTER, Ind. - Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from throughout Indiana converged on Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ind. for training exercises.
The cadets participated in training based upon their classes, with freshman and sophomores performing basic Soldier tasks and juniors, with some seniors, engaged in situational training exercises to prepare them for Leadership Development Assessment Course held this summer at Ft. Lewis, Wash. The LDAC is the final assessment on whether or not a cadet will commission as a 2nd Lt. in the Army or National Guard upon graduation from college.
Amanda Martin, of South Bend, Ind., an ROTC cadet attending Purdue University, and Elsiana Crosby, of Bainbridge, Ind., ROTC cadet attending Marian University stack prior to clearing a room during an ROTC field exercise.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
According to Lt. Col. Shane Ousey, of Lawrenceburg, Ind., professor of Military Science at Xavier University, all the training events were planned and run by cadets.
"The cadets plan this two to three months out to the minutest of details," said Ousey. "The cadet cadre are there to oversee and ensure safety." "Part of the ROTC curriculum is to bring them out to the field twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. The spring training is a combined exercise with other schools. Every school brought something different, and we rotate the cadets though all the different training lanes. The lanes encompass all the various tasks and basic skills the cadets will need to know in order to commission," said Ousey. "Camp Atterbury is a great training facility. The cooperation we get from the Atterbury staff is very beneficial to the training the cadets receive. We couldn't do this without them."
Freshman and sophomore cadets received training in basic Soldier skills, from first-aid and evacuation of casualties to room clearing and force-on-force engagements with paintball guns. They also had to negotiate a leadership reaction course, an obstacle course that required the cadets to work together to overcome a number of obstacles.
"The training familiarizes us with the tasks we'll have to perform in the Army," said Robert Scheikher, of West Lafayette, Ind., a freshman at Indiana University.
ROTC cadet Amanda Martin, of South Bend, Ind., an ROTC cadet attending Purdue University, engages a target with a paintball gun during room clearing drills.
Photo:Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
"We spent yesterday (April 1) in the classroom learning radio communications and using the engagement skills trainer (weapon simulator). Today, we're doing individual movement techniques, force-on-force engagements with paintball guns, room clearing, throwing practice grenades, medical and evacuation training." Scheikher, who wants to commission as an infantry officer in the Army, said that he initially wanted to attend the U.S. Military Academy, but there is more than one path to becoming an Army officer.
"Both of my grandfathers were in the Army, one of them commissioning through Purdue (University) ROTC. It's something I am committed to," said Scheikher. "The ROTC classes are similar to other class, except that the material covered is geared toward leadership in the Army."
The goal for the training is to prepare the cadets for what they will encounter at LDAC, said Justin Hilderbrand, of Ripley, Ohio, a senior at Xavier University.
Robert Schweikher, of West Lafayette, Ind., an ROTC cadet at Indiana University, kicks in a door to allow Michael Anderson, of Greenfield, Ind., an ROTC cadet at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and the rest of his team entry during room clearing training.
Photo:Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
"We're trying to train the cadets to prepare them for the LDAC," said Hilderbrand. "We want to give them an overview of what they're going to see and what to expect so they can become familiar with the tasks."
The senior cadets, who have already passed LDAC, are running operations and evaluating the underclassmen, said Hilderbrand. Since the seniors have been there, they have insight to help the juniors getting ready to go.
"Everyday, we switch around who runs events so everyone gets experience," said Hilderbrand, who will receive his commission next month as a military police officer with the 42nd Military Police Brigade in Ft. Lewis, Wash.
"I wanted something to challenge me and give me a good set of morals and work ethic," said Hilderbrand, about enrolling into ROTC. "I ended up really liking it, so now I want to make the Army my career."
For juniors preparing for the LDAC, the combined training gives them a chance to work with cadets from different schools and who are unknown to them, said Seth Walker, of Kokomo, Ind., a junior at Indiana University-Kokomo.
"This is a great leadership opportunity. I only knew one member of my squad coming into today's lanes," said Walker. "We had to come together, understand everyone's strengths and weaknesses, keep everyone motivated and adapt so we can all be successful at LDAC. I think this is excellent preparation," he said.
During the situational training exercise, the cadets receive leadership assessment reports for the senior cadets running the lanes.
Benjamin Peterson, of Spokane, Wash., an ROTC cadet attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, attempts to negotiate an obstacle at the Leadership Reaction Course.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
"The evaluation sheets allow us to grade their leadership dimension," said Capt. Ryan Woolf, an ROTC cadre with Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis. It is a tool that looks at character, presence and intellectual capacity, the things that a leader is. They are also evaluated on core leader competencies, what a leader does, said Woolf "We're grading them the same here as they will evaluated at LDAC," said Woolf.
Many cadets will accept commissions in the active component of the Army, but some, like Casey Burcroff, of Indianapolis, a freshman at the University of Indianapolis, will instead commission with Army National Guard or reserve component.
"I will be attending law school after graduation. Commissioning into the National Guard or reserve will allow me to attend graduate school," said Burcroff. Burcroff said ROTC was rough at the beginning and presented her with challenges.
"This is a good way to prepare for leadership, not just in the Army, but in other disciplines," she said.
For each cadet, the reasons for enrolling into ROTC are different. Regardless of reason or duty status, active, reserve or National Guard, these cadets are the future of Army and leaders are not born, but trained.
Benjamin Peterson, of Spokane, Wash., an ROTC cadet attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, attempts to negotiate an obstacle at the Leadership Reaction Course.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
Arzell West-Estell, of Toledo, Ohio, an ROTC cadet attending Xavier University, and Brian Clettenburg, of St. John, Ind., an ROTC cadet from Purdue Unversity, performs reconnaissance and surveillance ahead of their squad during a drill to react to enemy contact.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
Nathan Kresge, of Whiteland, Ind., an ROTC cadet attending Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, takes cover behind a tree while playing opposition force against other ROTC cadets during a react to enemy contact drill.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs) |
Jonathan Redman, of Roachdale, Ind., an ROTC cadet attending Butler University, bounds from the wall of a rappel tower.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
Jonathan Redman, of Roachdale, Ind., an ROTC cadet attending Butler University, bounds from the wall of a rappel tower.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
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Nicholas Lackner, of Casselberry, Fla., an ROTC cadet attending Purdue University, secures a simulated enemy combatant, played by Elena Cherepanova, of Indianapolis, an ROTC cadet attending Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, during a react to enemy contact drill.
Photo: Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs |
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