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Campus cadets rise above the rest in field training |
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Thursday, 05 April 2007 |
by HEATHER SANDERS
News Reporter
Appalachian State University’s ROTC cadets were “definitely at the top” during their Field Training Experience (FTX) at Fort Jackson, S.C., this past weekend, Maj. Marvin Ford said.
Appalachian, along with University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University and Presbyterian College, worked together in squads to perform land navigation exercises, battle drills and overnight missions, Ford said.
He said Appalachian cadets performed better than cadets at other
schools due to their motivation and constant training throughout the
year.
Ford said preparing for FTX is a year-long process, which involves
leadership labs, land navigation and army battle drills with cadets as
squad leaders.
Appalachian does FTX every year to prepare juniors for the Leadership Development and Assessment Course this summer.
James R. Rudisill, a senior political science major, said Appalachian “by far set the standard” at FTX.
“This weekend was plainly evident how our staff and cadre (officers)
have set us above other cadets at other schools,” he said. “The cadets
in our battalion take this more seriously because we know in a few
years we will be leading soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Rudisill is a senior but will also attend the leadership course.
He said FTX is beneficial because it helps strengthen interpersonal
skills, especially when working with people from other schools.
“What you have in common may be few and far between, but you still have to work with them,” he said.
Rudisill, who has seven years of experience in the army, said FTX also
helps cadets make decisions under challenging conditions.
“We’re not able to replicate it as it would be in Iraq, but we’re able to replicate it as close as we can,” Rudisill said.
The best part for him was thinking of and executing a plan successfully
and seeing the satisfaction of the people he was working with.
Older cadets take turns leading the squads. Rudisill said it is
challenging to lead others because you have to quickly figure out your
squad’s personality and skill set. He said it also challenged his
patience and made him reevaluate his leadership style.
Lt. Col. Douglas G. Jett said the squads are made up of cadets from all of the schools participating.
“I think the cadets enjoy it, working with others,” Jett said. “They’re
tired, they’re worn out, but they come back with war stories.”
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