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)