Cadets react to Dover scandal.

Last month on Nov. 8, the Washington Post broke news on the Dover Air Force Base Mortuary’s mishandling of troops’ remains.

Dover Air Force Base is the port of entry for all service members killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

According to recent reports by the Washington Post, a probe of the mortuary shows incidents ranging from the misplacement of a soldiers ankle bone, to a mortuary worker sawing off the arm of a Marine in order for him to fit into his uniform for burial.

Even more shocking, was the way remains were disposed off. In the instance that portions of a service member’s body are identified after burial, the remains are to be cremated and honorably buried at sea. 

Federal investigations revealed that these cremated remains were instead dumped in a Virginia landfill.

The cadets of Utah State University’s ROTC programs were outraged upon hearing this news.

“It is absolutely appalling that the bodies of soldiers would be misplaced or mistreated,” said David Kitchens, a senior Army cadet.

The fifth Army ethos states, “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” Troops take every means necessary to ensure a soldier killed on the battlefield is returned home.

Service members have faith that their fallen comrades will be handled with the utmost respect throughout the process.

“It’s just wrong; I think it’s cheating the respect. Our ethos is never leave a soldier behind and that’s definitely leaving them behind. Throwing them away like trash is just wrong,” said Benjamin Cox, a junior Army cadet.

Kitchens agreed with Cox on the ethos.

“If there is one thing you believe in the military, it’s never leave a comrade behind and that includes all of their body,” Kitchens said.

Senior Air Force cadets Bruce VonNiederhausern and Matthew Haddock have been following the story in the news since it first broke.

“I read about the widow. She said it was 'disgusting,' that puts it best. It’s kind of amazing that could be going on for so long and it just now comes up,” VonNiederhausern said.

"It’s a huge oversight and disrespectful. It’s one thing to be approved by someone, but there is no way this was just miscommunication. This is the biggest mess up that has happened recently,” Haddock said.

Not all cadets had heard about the incidents at Dover, but once they were told by senior cadets, they read the news for themselves.

Freshmen Air Force cadets Elyse Hobbs and Tyndall Taylor were two cadets who hadn’t heard of the incident until yesterday.

“It’s shocking and shameful to hear all that,” Hobbs said.

“I believe that if people are over there serving us, they deserve more respect than somebody half-assing their job,” Taylor said.

Army ROTC cadets pass last test of semester.

With rubber rifles, camouflage uniforms and load-bearing vests the cadets of Utah State University’s Army ROTC stood poolside, drenched in water.

Sometimes it took some coaxing or a shove into the pool, but all the cadets passed the Combat Water Survival Training test today and will be able to continue on in the ROTC program.

For many of the cadets it is a training event that they look forward to.

Cadet Brady Barton, a freshman, enjoys heights and liked the feeling the combat drop gave him.

“I like jumping off of stuff,” Barton said. “It’s a confidence builder.”

For most cadets taking their load-bearing vest off while submerged under water was the most challenging, yet their favorite event.

“It actually makes you think about what you are doing. You have to remove the gear while holding yourself completely under water,” said David Kitchens, a cadet who is in the process of earning his second bachelor’s degree.

Jace Hart, a junior cadet, agreed with Kitchens.

“It was challenging to hold myself under,” Hart said.

Cadet Colton Keune, a junior, spent two summers as a lifeguard before beginning college. He has always thought of himself as an excellent swimmer, but was challenged by the gear removal.

“I hate taking off my gear under water. I don’t sink fast enough,” Keune said. “I failed the first time.”

Cadet Rachel Wescott, a junior, was one of the cadets to struggle through the course.

“I don’t like water. I never associated the Army with water; I thought that was the Navy,” Wescott said.

Wescott, struggled on the combat drop. When she reached the top of the tower she was led to the edge by another cadet. The other cadets, who were poolside, cheered her on as she got closer to the edge. Once Wescott reached the edge, she paused for a full minute before jumping into the water.

“They finally pushed me in. As I hit the water I thought, good, this is finally over,” she said.

Cadet Fiona Duncan was the only cadet to fail the combat drop on the first attempt.

“I let go of my weapon as I was trying to swim back to the surface,” Duncan said.

Duncan retained her weapon on her second attempt and passed the event.

Cadets swam the 10-minute swim in shorts and a shirt, but junior Ben Dansie chose to wear his camouflage uniform to challenge himself.

“Keeping my uniform on made it difficult,” Dansie said. “It filled with water and made it heavy.”

Maj. Matthew Badell, the Army ROTC officer in charge, said that overall the cadets did well in the events.

“We had a few that struggled taking off their equipment,” Badell said. “Once they calmed down and kept themselves underwater they were able to pass.”

Basics of survival

Tomorrow the Utah State University Army ROTC cadets will be tested in Combat Water Survival Training.

Each cadet must pass CWST in preparation for the confidence course they will run while attending the Leadership Development and Assessment Course. Cadets attend LDAC the summer prior to their senior year.

The CWST test will take place at the pool located in the USU Health, Physical Education and Recreation building.

CWST is not based on being a great swimmer, but the ability to stay afloat in a survival situation. The test consists of five stations. Each one has a different situation the cadet may be faced with in the future.

The combat drop is designed to build trust in fellow cadets and self confidence. The cadet goes to the top of the five-meter platform. Another cadet waits at the top to serve as a guide. The cadet is blindfolded and led to the end of the platform. Upon reaching the end, the cadets steps off and into the water.

Cadet Ryan Allen, a senior, has been through the training in previous years and will walk the junior cadets through the course. If a cadet fails an event they must repeat it until they have passed.

“A lot of people are really apprehensive about the combat drop. Wearing the blindfold gets to them,” Allen said.

The next event requires the cadet to remove their gear while under water. Wearing a load-bearing vest and holding a rifle, the cadet submerges themselves completely. Cadets are instructed to place the rifle between their knees and then take off the vest.

“This is an easy event,” Allen said. “Just snap the vest off and pop your head back up.”

Cadet Zack Walker, a junior, has done the course once before and will be tested again tomorrow.

“I hate it. However, it does prepare us for the case of an aircraft going down or a ship sinking and we're in need of staying alive. It teaches us how to survive in the water.” Walker said.

Cadets will next swim for 10 consecutive minutes and end by treading water. The distance of the swim is not measured. It is only important that they swim for the entire time.

“I’m short and muscular so I sink like a rock,” Walker said. “That makes the 10-minute swim the hardest.”

Another event that Walker struggles with is the 25-meter rifle swim. The swim consists of the cadet swimming the width of the pool, while keeping their rifle out of the water.

The final event teaches the cadets to turn their pants into a life preserver.

The cadet swims out into the water and removes their pants while treading water. After removing the pants, the end of the legs are tied together. Once secure, a splashing technique is used to fill the pants with enough air to remain buoyant and support the weight of a person.

“Turning your pants into a life vest is a great skill to learn,” Allen said. 


Though the US Army does not specialize in water operations, cadets may one day find themselves patrolling through rivers or on a helicopter operation across bodies of water. Cadet Nick Celeya, a senior, agreed with Walker.


"It prepares us for the worst," Celeya said. "If they ever end up in the water, they will know what to do and how to ditch their gear, instead of freaking out."

A place of their own

The Utah State University Army ROTC has initiated many fundraising events to benefit others. Now, they are being rewarded themselves.

The cadets of the Jim Bridger detachment finally have an updated lounge to call their own.

The lounge in the ROTC building used to become nearly unbearably hot, even in winter, due to the heating pipes that run across the ceiling and walls.

The lounge is now equipped with air conditioning.

Along with the newly installed AC, the cadets were given a 40-inch flat screen TV and an Xbox360 as a reward for their work during previous fundraisers.

“We used to have an old projection TV, before we got the new one,” said Kevin Moultry, a senior cadet.

The lounge now has couches where cadets can get together after class, to plan events or just enjoy some time away from the rigors of training and class work. During finals week, the cadets can meet together in the lounge to study - away from the crowds at the library.

After the Tuesday ROTC class ended for the day, Cadet Zach Smith, a junior, was playing Xbox with two fellow cadets, while waiting for another class to begin.

 “It gives us a place to go when we have dead time,” Smith said.

Some cadets felt the lounge could have used new computers to add to the four existing ones. When cadets need to do research for an ROTC project or write a paper, they can use the computers provided in the lounge.

 “The lounge is great, but it gets crowded when we are trying to work on computers,” Smith said.

Moultry disagrees with the need for more computers.

 “We have computer labs all across campus,” Moultry said. “With the additions to the lounge, such as an Xbox, it gives guys a chance to hang out and build camaraderie. Beyond the usual structure of the military.”

Cadet Kade Cross, a junior, sees it as a benefit of all the work they have put in to help others.

 “I think it’s motivating, because we see the fruits of our labor,” Cross said. “We worked hard for fundraisers and now something has been given to us.”

Next door, the Air Force ROTC has a larger and better equipped lounge, with a pool table. The army cadets however, don’t mind the difference in size or amenities.

“That’s really ours too,” said Moultry.

Creating officers

Known as the “crossroads of the Marine Corps” Quantico, Va. is where every Marine officer will find themselves as they begin their career.

In a swampy section of Marine Corps Base Quantico, lies Brown Field, the training area for Officer Candidate School. Here candidates of OCS will be taught the basics of being an officer in the US military’s smallest branch of service.

For Danny Murphy, a junior at Utah State University, it is an experience that is vivid in his mind.

While most college students were enjoying the summer break, Murphy had just arrived at OCS.

“The night before we were to report to OCS I had a gut wrenching feeling. I knew I was going to be going nonstop for the next six weeks,” Murphy said.

Murphy began OCS by meeting his troop handlers and spent the first week filling out paperwork, shuffling through medical examinations, and learning the basics of marching in formation.

 “The first week was relaxed and our troop handlers showed us the basics,” Murphy said. “I was constantly tired since we woke up at 5 a.m. each morning, but it wasn’t stressful."

After the first week, Murphy and his fellow candidates were taken to a squad bay where they met their sergeant instructors. These instructors would guide them through the next six weeks and be a constant presence.

In order to teach the candidates to think clearly under stressful situations, the sergeant instructors create a chaotic environment as soon as the candidates arrive to their platoons. Candidates dump out their belongings onto the floor and then repack them as an instructor screams over their shoulder.

“We got to the squad bay and it turned into a shit show,” Murphy said. “We were screamed at to ‘hurry up and move faster’ our stuff was scattered and we had to find everything and gather it back up.”

Training picks up as soon as the candidates organize into their platoons. The first morning of training candidates will do a workout session of physical training, or PT, as it is known in the military.

“Our first PT was brutal. We ran about five miles, doing dips, pull-ups and pushups between each mile,” Murphy said.

The first week of training involves multiple classes on military history and basic military knowledge. After that, candidates begin their field training.

One of the main events in field training is a course called the Quigley.

The Quigley is a water obstacle in which cadets swim through swampy, snake infested water, while going under and through obstacles such as logs and barbwire. At one point in the Quigley, candidates must submerge themselves and crawl through a five-foot cement culvert.

Murphy’s roommate, Bryan Haslip, a senior candidate in the Platoon Leaders Class, remembers the Quigley as the event that was the most difficult for some candidates to get through.

 “It lived up to the hype, but some guys made it harder than it had to be. They didn’t think about the tunnel only being five-feet long and freaked out,” Haslip said.

For Murphy, the Quigley was a break from the monotony of every day events such as PT and close order drill.

 “It was kind of relaxing. I just saw it as swimming through some water,” Murphy said.

The field training culminates in an overnight six-mile hike and field exercise. Small Unit Leadership Evaluation is where the leadership of cadets will be the most heavily graded.

During SULE cadets are woken at 3 a.m. and begin their hike. They are split into four-man fire teams and evaluated on their tactics during this time. Murphy found this the biggest challenge because of his billet.

Murphy was given the billet as company gunnery sergeant. His responsibilities in this billet were to get all the candidates ready to go by 3 a.m. and ensure that all weapons and gear were accounted for.

“It was a lot of pressure. I had to make sure every person was ready to go,” Murphy said.

At the end of the field training, candidates are loaded onto helicopters. They are then flown around the base and practice exiting a helicopter tactically.

The last week of OCS is practice for graduation. The candidates repeatedly practice marching onto the parade deck and then running back to the entrance, also called the chute. After practice they spend hours prepping their uniforms.

While Murphy enjoyed the last week and preparation for graduation, Haslip found it an annoyance.

“I hated graduation practice," Haslip said. Marching and then running back to the chute over and over."

Marching on

With shoes shined, uniforms pressed and ribbons mounted the cadets of the Air Force ROTC prepared for their biannual uniform inspection and drill competition.

The cadets were formed up in groups that are termed flights. A flight is similar to a platoon in the other branches of service. Flights consist of around 30 cadets split into four equal sized elements. There were five flights in the competition. During this competition each flight was evaluated and graded on their performance and appearance.

The competition began with the dress uniform inspection. The freshman and sophomore cadets were inspected by the senior cadets. Their uniforms were inspected for fit, insignia and ribbon placement.

“The inspection is about discipline and attention to detail. It really drives those things home,” said Isaac Fifield, a senior cadet in charge of inspecting and grading the flights.

The first year cadets have recently been instructed on the placement of ribbons on their uniforms and some have not had their uniforms properly tailored.

“The first semester there is usually a plethora of mistakes,” Fifield said.

For some of the younger cadets, this was the first time they had been in a dress uniform in front of other people.

 “It builds a sense of pride, especially with this uniform,” said Col. Karilynne Wallace, the head of the Aerospace Studies department.

After the completion of the uniform inspection the cadets prepared to be evaluated on their marching and close order drill.

The flights lined up in formation at the end of the gym and one at a time they were given the chance to show what they had learned from their flight commander.

The purpose behind marching cadets in this manner is to move cadets from one place to another in an orderly manner, while maintaining the best appearance possible.

 “It teaches them to work as a team to accomplish a task,” Wallace said.

 The flight commander would call out orders and the flight was critiqued on their precision and response to orders. The commander was then graded on the performance of his flight as a whole.

“If the flight messes up, it means the flight commander messed up,” Wallace said.

Each flight was given an opportunity to march in front of the other cadets and then the scores were tallied to find out the top flight commander for the junior class. The scores weren’t immediately read, but the cadets were briefed on what they did properly or which areas they needed to improve.

“Next year, they will be the ones leading,” Fifield said.
(K.Lambert)

From follower to leader

Raised in a family with a military background, Nick Celeya wanted to continue that tradition. When Celeya graduated high school in May 2007, the Iraq war was in its deadliest year. He felt a calling to serve his country as his father had.

 “Not every generation has the opportunity to be a great generation,” Celeya said. “It was my chance to serve and if I didn’t do it other people wouldn’t either.”

Enlisting in the Army in the fall of 2007 Celeya knew exactly what he wanted to do, infantry.

Less than a year later, Celeya found himself in the dusty streets of Mosul, Iraq. While in Iraq, Celeya’s unit, the 1^st Battalion 23^rd Infantry Regiment, was tasked with security and stability operations. There the unit performed presence and security patrols. The purpose of those patrols was not to actively seek combat engagements, but to disrupt insurgent operations.

 “It was a lot of patrolling the streets and interacting with the locals to find out their needs. We saw a little action, but it was mostly calm,” Celeya said.

Returning stateside in April of 2009, Celeya chose to leave the Army and returned to school.

Upon beginning college, Celeya felt that his “warrior spirit” hadn’t left him. After his first semester he started to look at a path back to the military. With the opportunity to be back in uniform, and with a stipend for tuition, the Army ROTC appealed to him.

 “I had already done the enlisted thing and with the stipend I could sit easy going through school,” Celeya said.

Celeya, now a senior at Utah State University and Army ROTC cadet, is preparing to commission as an officer this summer. Staying with his background, Celeya has chosen infantry as his military occupation.

“If you’re going to do it, you might as well be in the thick of it. I couldn’t sit behind a desk,” Celeya said.

Celeya looks forward to being with an infantry unit again and working with soldiers that he can understand.  He believes that his prior enlisted experience will enable him to relate to his soldiers better than an officer without that background.

“When you know how the smallest private feels, you can relate to your guys that much better,” Celeya said.

Lt. Col. Greg Stuart, the recruiting operations officer of USU Army ROTC, looks for students with prior service when he recruits. “They bring experience to the table,” Stuart said.

Lower enlisted soldiers are not exposed to many of the aspects that go into the planning of missions. Mission planning is done by officers and then passed down to their soldiers in a operation order pertaining to their mission. This usually leaves out the bigger picture that officers see.

“The biggest challenge in going from enlisted to officer is being a planner instead of a doer,” Celeya said. “It’s now my job to sort everything out and bring the word down to my guys.”

Stuart also noted this challenge when a prior service cadet joins the ROTC. “It’s sometimes hard to get the enlisted mentality out of them, but they know their tactics and military life,” he said.


(D.Van Dyke)

Motivation through camaraderie

On typical Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Utah State University field house, the basketball courts are filled with students playing pickup games. Some students are getting in a late night jog on the treadmills and a few are lifting weights.

In one corner of the field house sit eight young men. After numerous sets of pushup, they begin running laps around the track.

These are the men of the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class.

The Marine Corps physical fitness test, or PFT as it is known, is comprised of three different tests. The first test is pull-ups, with 20 repetitions being a perfect score. The next test is a maximum number of sit-ups in a two minute time period. Most receive a perfect score with 100 points.

The third is a three-mile run. If done in 18 minutes the candidates receive a perfect score of 100 points. The average score for candidates going into PLC is 285 points out of a possible 300.

With the high level of competition in PLC, candidates must be in peak physical condition before leaving to OCS and remain that way through graduation.

Some have already completed Officer Candidate School and will commission this following summer, others have just recently contracted in the program.

Troy Carver, a 26-year-old senior, organizes the bi-weekly physical training, or PT as it is known in the military. Carver has already completed OCS and will commission this summer. After returning from a church mission in 2006, Carver went into school half-heartedly. He took only six credits each semester. Once he contracted with PLC he had to enroll in school full time.

With an aviation contract, Carver will be a helicopter pilot. He looked at his options and the ROTC of the Army and Air Force before making his decision. “I chose the Marine Corps because of the atmosphere and professionalism,” Carver said.

 Before leaving for OCS he trained daily by himself, but found it harder to push himself when he was alone. “Being around the other guys and the camaraderie, helps to push each other harder,” Carver said.

Shane Mozingo, a 22-year-old sophomore, knows he needs to be in the best shape possible before he leaves for OCS this coming summer. Candidates in PLC are given the option of air, ground or law before they commission. Mozingo has chosen ground. His sights are set on infantry or military intelligence.

As a green side Navy corpsman Mozingo’s father worked with Marines as their corpsman. “My dad loved working with Marines, so I decided if I was going to go into the military the Marine Corps is what I would do,” Mozingo said.

Mozingo enjoys the challenge PT gives him. “It makes me feel like crap, so I have to step it up,” he said. “It motivates me.”
(C.Robinson)

ROTC prepared Lieutenant for military life

After four years of the Air Force ROTC at Utah State University, 1^st Lt. Casey Chappell left the familiarity of Logan, Utah and went to fulfill his obligation as an Air Force officer.

His first duty station, Hurlburt Field, located in Mary Esther, FL.

With a fleet of V-22 Ospreys, Hurlburt Field is home to the 1^st Special Operations Wing.

Chappell is the officer in charge of maintenance for this fleet of aircraft. Using the skills of leadership he gained in the ROTC, Chappell supervises the daily work of his Airmen.“Though it’s not what I expected when I was in ROTC, it was good preparation for military life," Chappell said.

Chappell, a 2010 graduate of USU has been active duty for the last two-and-a-half years. Now working on his master’s degree, he takes advantage of the time management he learned through ROTC. “It gives me a lot of time for education,” Chappell said. “I am three classes away from having my master’s.”

Chappell will leave on his first deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan in Jan. 2011. After this upcoming deployment, he will have two years left on his contract. ”I am undecided on whether I will stay in the military after my time is up,” Chappell said.

Air Force ROTC’s main focus is on the military in general and does not focus on a cadet’s chosen military occupation. “It was more of a training basis, but it taught me the basics of leadership and gave me a base to grow from," Chappell said.

In his service, Chappell has seen a contrast in the officers that come from a ROTC background and those that went through the Air Force Academy or that commissioned through Officer Training Course.

“I would recommend ROTC to anyone wanting to be an officer. Academy guys are so limited to what they see. They see a lot less of the real world and don’t really have that college experience. OTC officers are still figuring out customs and courtesies and learning the rank structure,” Chappell said.

ROTC is preferred by some seeking to commission because of the freedom it gives them. They are in a military environment twice a week, whereas an academy cadet is in that environment every day.

When officers get to their unit, regardless of the route they took to commission, the responsibilities they are given are the same.

 1^st Lt. Chris Carillo, a graduate of the Air Force Academy currently stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah works with officers who are both ROTC and Academy trained. “There is no difference, we are all Lieutenants,” said Carillo.
(J.Dunford)

Different paths to the cockpit.

As Utah State University seniors prepare for their final semester before graduation many are looking to a future of 9 to 5 jobs and working to climb the corporate ladder.

This isn’t the case for Isaac Fifield and Bryan Haslip.

Fifield and Haslip both look into their future and see their desk as a cockpit and their office 30,000 feet in the sky.

Fifield, a 25-year-old senior and Air Force cadet, looks forward to fulfilling a dream he has had since childhood. “I’ve always wanted to be a fighter pilot,” Fifield said.

Haslip, a 22-year-old senior, is in the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class. Like Fifield, Haslip is guaranteed a flight slot after he commissions. Though his grandfather was a Colonel in the Air Force, Haslip saw the appeal of the Marine Corps. “If I’m going to serve, why not be in the most bad ass branch,” Haslip said.

Fifield comes from a family with a strong military background. Both of his brothers served in the Army, but he was impressed with the options the Air Force offered. “If I’m looking at a career in any branch Air Force is the best one,” Fifield said.

While both Fifield and Haslip will become pilots, the paths in their respective services will be different ones.

Haslip attended Officers Candidate School, or OCS, in the summer of 2010. Located in Quantico, Va., OCS is the basic training for future Marine Corps officers. During OCS, candidates are tested on a variety of things such as fitness and their ability to lead troops during stressful situations.

“It was interesting because it was an evaluation period, they could send you home,” Haslip said. “You lived with that fear. If you messed up, if they saw qualities they didn’t like, they would send you home.”

Fifield’s training was in Maxwell, AL and Camp Shelby, MS. Field Training, as it is known in the Air Force is a 28-day basic training. Similar to OCS, Field Training is designed to evaluate the cadet’s level of leadership in stressful environments.

Upon returning to school both Fifield and Haslip thought everything seemed less stressful. When deadlines approached or it was finals week, they knew how to handle the stress.

 “It seemed I had all the time in the world and I finished tasks instead of procrastinating. I can now manage my time and keep an overall picture of what matters.” Haslip said.

Fifield now puts his seniority and the skills he learned in Field Training to use in training his younger cadets.

After he went through Field Training, he returned to Camp Shelby as a member of the cadre. Here he helped train the junior cadets who were passing through the program. "Training the cadets at Field Training helps me to better train the cadets now at USU,” Fifield said.

Fifield sees his upcoming service as a chance to make a difference in the world and also a way to support a family. “Health care will be a big benefit, as will a retirement pension. Overall I can look back and have a feeling of accomplishment and know I was a part of something that was real and made a difference.”
(J.Dunford)

Success through teamwork

On a cold and snowy Saturday afternoon in the hills of Camp Williams, Utah, cadets of Utah State University’s Jim Bridger Detachment huddled together in preparation for their next obstacle. In front of them was a 10-foot wall. The cadets were tasked with getting their team of five over the wall and across the 10-feet of minefield on the other side.

The cadets were equipped with an aluminum ladder, 50-feet of rope and their combined minds.

In this case it wasn’t life or death, and the minefield was simply black rubber. The exercise was designed to teach cadets to think quickly and show leadership in a constantly changing environment.

One of the cadet teams to go through the exercise was led by Rachel Westcott, a junior. The team struggled to figure out a way to get the ladder over the top of the minefield.

In the end the team couldn’t reach an agreement on a way to accomplish the mission and ran out of time. “Some cadets just want to be the head honcho and take command,” said Westcott. “You’ve got to keep your influence over them.”

Nick Celaya, a senior and prior enlisted Soldier, was there to supervise the safety of his under-classman cadets. Celaya had gone through the course in prior years and knew the proper way to accomplish the mission. Celeya stood underneath the wall, saying nothing to the cadets who asked him questions. “It’s good it’s snowing,” said Celeya. “It gets them exposed to the harsh conditions.

Another group of cadets worked together, with one person taking charge. They successfully completed the mission in the required time. They were debriefed and asked the things that worked and what didn’t. The successful cadets left their obstacle debrief in high spirits. “It builds their egos and gives them confidence about who they are,” Celeya said.

While some cadets were busy outside on the icy obstacle, others were inside the warm confines of the Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer, or VCOT.

The VCOT is a program used to simulate convoys. The cadets strap themselves into seats that resemble the inside of a military Humvee, a 4x4 vehicle the military uses for many of their vehicle operations. There are four vehicles in the VCOT and each has room for a driver, vehicle commander and a gunner.

The VCOT gives the cadets a chance to experience the environment of urban warfare and the constant threat of roadside bombs or small arms fire. “It gives cadets good training that translates well and at a much lower cost,” said Kevin Moultrie, a senior, who had trained with the VCOT the previous year.

SFC Robert Roberts, 53, a soldier with 24 years in the service, was tasked with training the cadets on the VCOT. “You’ve got to be up and talking,” Roberts told the cadets. “If you can master mounted, dismounted is a whole lot easier.”

The cadets were faced with an eye opening experience as the first roadside bomb hit their lead vehicle. Maneuvering vehicles to go around the downed vehicle the second vehicle was ambushed by an insurgent gun truck. “You have to learn this now,” Roberts yelled to the vehicle commanders, “before you have to pull your soldiers out of a burning truck.”

C.Robinson

Learning Leadership

Today the cadets of Utah State University Army ROTC will lace up their boots, load M16 magazines, and prepare for a much needed step in preparing them to lead soldiers into battle.

On the training grounds of Camp Williams, Utah, orders will be yelled and the crack of rifles will pierce the air.

The bi-annual Field Training Exercise, or FTX, is designed to turn young men and women into the future leaders of the United States Army. “This is where leadership takes place,” said Lt. Col. Greg Stuart, the recruiting operations officer of USU Army ROTC.

For the seniors of ROTC it will be a chance to plan the logistics of the FTX. They will plan everything from the cadets rappelling off of a 50-foot-high tower, to the number of meals, ready to eat, the cadets will need.

This will also be the first time some cadets fire an M16 rifle, the service rifle for the US military.

“Some of these guys have never been to boot camp,” said Ryan Allen, a senior cadet in charge of planning.

The freshmen and sophomore cadets will get hands on classes about the M16 and then head to the range for a familiarization shoot. “It’s a basic shoot to get them used to the weapon,” Allen said.

The cadets will also learn shooting techniques while wearing a combat load. This includes a load bearing vest and a Kevlar helmet. “They will have to practice the fundamentals of marksmanship,” Allen said.

Waking up at 6:30 a.m. the cadets will be constantly on the move to different classes and training events. It will be a high pace that many of the new cadets are not used to, but will help prepare them for what is to come in their future as military officers.

At day’s end, the cadets won’t have the comforts of a bed they left at home; instead they will be sleeping on standard Army cots, inside of Quonset huts.

Junior year cadets will be in charge of issuing orders and supervising the tasks of the sophomore and freshmen cadets. “It gives the juniors a chance to put their leadership skills into play,” Allen said.

Land navigation is an integral part of military tactics and the cadets will be tested on their land navigation skill. Tonight the cadets will go through a night land navigation course. “It will help them rely on the basics of land navigation,” Allen said.

Though the senior cadets will plan all the events, they will avoid helping the freshmen and junior cadets when they run into problems. The junior cadets will be the ones helping the younger classmen through the events. “Sometimes we drop the ball so we can see them screw up and have to figure it out,” Stuart said. “We train them to be tactically proficient.”

The main focus overall of this FTX will be the Future Leadership Reaction Course. The course will focus on how the cadets respond to different situations. While no missions will be run, it will give them the ability of quick thinking the cadets will need for the spring FTX, where they run battle drills, with weapons firing, alongside other cadets.

The cadets will finish the FTX with a six mile hike through the hills of Camp Williams. This hike will push cadets physically and mentally, as they carry a 40-pound pack.
(n.sorenson)

Don’t Ask, Don’t Care

On Sept. 20, a change of law that has been debated for nearly 18 years, took place in the United States military. The repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which prohibited openly gay service members, went into effect.

Some military members marked it as a historic, while others went about it as a normal day.

Cadet Ryan Ridel, a 23-year-old senior at Utah State University remembers that day. He was at the national training center at Fort Irwin, CA. “It was just another day,” Ridel said. “I went to work and did my job.”

Though Ridel saw it as “just another day”, he is one of the service members it affects. Ridel is an openly gay cadet serving in the USU Army ROTC, and will commission as a second lieutenant in the summer of 2012.

Ridel grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he was 19, he served a LDS mission. Ridel said he was a great missionary and did all that was expected of him. He tried to follow the teachings of the church. “I tried to pray the gay away,” Ridel said.

After returning from his mission, Ridel proposed to a girlfriend, but the engagement was called off. He moved to California and there he dated a man for the first time. During this relationship, the teachings of the LDS church echoed in his head. “No, no, no, it’s not right, is what I told myself” Ridel said.

After he ended that relationship he moved back to Utah where he once again became engaged to a girl named Jennifer.”Jennifer was the last girl I dated,” Ridel said.

After transferring schools and moving, Ridel dropped out of school and went back to California. “It’s where I came to terms with who I am as a person,” he said.

Ridel returned to Utah and enrolled in USU. Growing up in a family with a military background, he decided to join the ROTC. “I came from a family with means and never wanted for anything,” Ridel said. “I wanted to go out on my own.”

Though Ridel has not formally come out to his co-workers, he has also never denied his sexuality when asked. “It’s more of a ‘don’t ask, don’t care’ attitude,” Ridel said.

Strong unit cohesion is more important than being openly gay Ridel believes. “I’ll play the game to keep unit cohesion,” he said.

Ridel knows that there has been whispering behind his back, but it won’t prevent him from his duties as an officer. “I didn’t join the Army to sit around and gossip,” Ridel said. “I joined the Army to do a job, and do it well.”

Some cadets have the same “don’t ask, don’t care” attitude.  Colton Keune, a 21-year-old junior had already served with an openly gay cadet before the repeal. “He trained just like the rest of us,” Keune said.

Professionalism takes precedence over sexual orientation for Keune. “As long as they are professional, I don’t see the difference,” Keune said.

Other cadets support aspects of the repeal, but are wary on others. “It’s great that regardless of sexuality, someone can serve to protect their family and friends,” said Zack Walker, a 21-year-old junior.

It’s when it comes to rooming or community showers, Walker disagrees. “I don’t feel comfortable rooming with an openly gay person,” he said. “But as an officer we were told to get over it.”

Walker knows that military orders will be above his personal beliefs and will treat openly gay service members like anyone else. “I don’t agree with the lifestyle, but it’s not my decision,” Walker said. “I will just do my job.”

(n.sorenson)

USU ROTC

In this blog you will find information about Utah State University ROTC. I will follow them as they undergo training exercises, classroom discussions and other various operations pertaining to the mission of an ROTC cadet. These cadets are the future of the United States armed forces and will one day be deployed around the world in humanitarian and combat operations.