Grayson Mendenhall Chancellor | Student Development Beat
Adam Bennett | The Appalachian
R.O.T.C. Capt. Dan B. Smith (l)
and Junior criminal justice major Cadet Kenneth J. Fortson, Jr.
are the “enemy” during a STX mission.
Cadets in the Appalachian
State University Reserve Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) program
learn more than basic military discipline and physical training
when they join.
They spend a lot of time inside the classroom,
but the most crucial training comes through rigorous exercises in
the field.
R.O.T.C. Operations Officer Capt. Channing Moose
said cadets learn “team building and leadership” through
“tough and realistic training.”
Moose
graduated from the Appalachian R.O.T.C. program in 1993.
Like all R.O.T.C. graduates, Moose entered the Army as a second
lieutenant. He put his skills to work at bases such as Fort Sill,
Okla., and Fort Knox, Ky.
Moose can attest to the fact that the training cadets receive in
R.O.T.C. will fully prepare them for a career in the U.S. Army.
Besides physical training, cadets receive specialized training during
their three-hour Thursday laboratory exercises, Moose said.
During labs, cadets learn skills such as land navigation, first
aid, rappelling/knot-tying and rifle marksmanship.
Cadets also take part in situational training exercises, squad-level
missions that test their leadership under stress, Moose said. These
exercises take place in the woods near State Farm Road and the woods
behind the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center. In these role-playing
exercises, cadets learn to patrol an area and contain enemy elements
in a battlefield scenario.
Moose said the rugged, outdoor terrain of the training areas “makes
cadets tougher” and helps build realism.
The realistic nature of the training is necessary for R.O.T.C. graduates
who may deploy shortly after their graduation.
Many recent graduates of Appalachian R.O.T.C. are currently deployed
in Kuwait and Afghanistan.
Upcoming R.O.T.C. graduates are aware of the fact they could immediately
deploy in the event of war with Iraq.
