Preparing for duty
By Jaclyn Elledge
Old Gold and Black Reporter

ROTC students train for military service as the nation faces the prospect of war.

Many cried. More stared. Some prayed. A few gave blood. Others trained.
The reactions to the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. were as diverse as the populace itself. The nation mourned the attacks; the military trained for the response. Some retreated; others engaged.

On a campus level, as students mourned, grieved and searched for explanations, the Wake Forest University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Demon Deacon Battalion continued their regimented training.

Contracted members of the ROTC unit cannot be deployed, but upon graduation, the cadets will be commissioned officers directly affected by the status of Operation Enduring Freedom.

For some, this realization may be daunting. After all, battle carries the possibility of death. The cadets, however, seem to recognize it as their duty to a country where they can enjoy the freedoms won by preceding generations. Perhaps this mentality reflects the fact that an estimated 50 percent of the university’s ROTC cadets have familial ties to the military. Or maybe it testifies to the level of preparedness the cadets have reached.

“Man, I hope they send me,” said senior Erin Davis, a fourth-year cadet — otherwise known as an MS4, said. “I’d love to go over there.”

Davis is not alone in her desires. Other members of the battalion, as well as those in the Winston-Salem community, would be willing to see action in battle. Since Sept. 11, area military recruiting offices have seen escalating interest in the armed forces, although for the most part levels of enlistment have remained steady.

“Since the attacks, there’s been an increase in phone calls and general curiosity about the Army, but as far as actual enlistment, has there been an increase? Not really,” Stuart Whitman, station commander of the Winston-Salem Army Recruiting Office, said. “Most people who have shown interest were not qualified, just people who wanted to be Rambo.”

Recruiting offices for other branches report similar experiences. An official at the Navy Recruiting Office cited a slight increase in qualified applicants, but a greater increase in interest from unqualified individuals — individuals who may be too young or old, former servicemen who have been released, and those without a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Dan Campos, an official at the Winston-Salem Marines Recruiting Office said, “From the Marine perspective, recruiting has been about the same. We’ve had lots show interest, but most are unqualified. Here at this office, we’ve been turning a lot of walk-ins away.”
Although it is still too early to evaluate the impact of the current situation on recruiting for the Demon Deacon Battalion, which also offers cross-enrollment to Winston-Salem State University and Salem College students, the cadets feel the effects of the heightened sense of patriotism that has spread across the country.

MS3 Jessica Russell, a junior, said, “Nothing has really changed with the ROTC program since Sept. 11, but one thing that has changed, that I think is actually a good thing, is that people realize that the military is important now.”

When appli-cations for the highly competitive ROTC scholar-ships arrive in the spring, the effects of the attacks and Operation Enduring Freedom will be known. The ROTC four-year scholarship offers $17,000 per year for tuition; free room and board from the university; a stipend for books and a small salary during one’s junior and senior years.
Individuals must apply for the scholarship separate from applying to the University.
Around 90 applications are received each year for 15 scholarships.

The ROTC two-year scholar-ship offers the same financial benefits during the junior and senior years and is available to rising juniors who attend a five-week camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

MS3 John Matsinger, a junior, attended camp last summer and is now a member of the Demon Deacon Battalion.

In light of the current situation, Matsinger said, “After the initial impact hit, I was really glad I joined. I joined ROTC because I like the president now, the military is an honorable position and it’s advan-tageous monetarily. Plus, there’s a natural desire to get revenge.”

Last weekend, the cadets completed their biannual field exercise training at the Vineyard Campground in Pilot Mountain. Usually, the field training takes place at Fort Bragg, but with troops being deployed from Ft. Bragg, this year’s trainers selected the Pilot Mountain site.

Capt. Tina Colston, an assistant professor of military science in charge of recruiting for ROTC, said the field exercise is a sort of dress rehearsal for the senior members of the battalion.

“The MS4s plan and execute the training to help prepare them for platoon leadership in Army,” Colston said.

She added that most of the MS4s will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army in May.

This leadership exercise follows an intensive 42-day Advanced Camp between the junior and senior year at Fort Lewis, Washington.

“It was easy,” Davis said. “Not to sound conceited, but the Wake ROTC people are smart people. The program here prepared me so well that it definitely was not the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Cadets were required to spend 11 days camping out in a field with no running water. “It was an adventure, that’s definitely how I’d classify it,” Davis said.

Lt. Col. James Page, the chairman of the military science department and the brigade commander of the ROTC program, said that the fall exercise is the same sort of adventure, as Davis described it, geared toward confidence building and teamwork.
Through a low ropes course, a high ropes course, a climbing wall, a riflery range and a communications and operations center responsible for each cadet’s needs on the field, the MS4s learn leadership, and the others learn skills necessary for military service.
As a freshman group debated how to move their squad and equipment across a mine field, Page said, “The lower ropes course is a leadership reaction course. It’s based on a tactical situation. It engages problem-solving skills and develops leadership abilities. The model for this kind of training was German officer training during World War II.”
As the cadets prepare for service, they hope that the currents waves of military support across the country remain.

“When you are making sacrifices for your country, missing holidays, etc., there is nothing more difficult than not having the support of the civilian population and feeling underappreciated,” Colston said. “As a cadre, we’re very aware of activities on campus that are anti-government. Given our position as freedom fighters, or as I tell my sons, peacekeepers, anything that is anti-American or anti-government is disappointing.”