Cadets brave cold, gain real life experience

• Tweet
• 

Chris Roosen never thought being in the Army would be this difficult.

Last weekend the Grosse Pointe sophomore found out how hard it can actually
be, as he slept in near-freezing temperatures and took a frigid dip in the
Chippewa River.

Roosen and 117 other cadets from CMU, Ferris State University, Alma College,
Northwood University and Saginaw Valley State University completed the ROTC’s
Field Training Exercise, FTX at Deerfield Park.

Friday afternoon UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters lifted cadets from the corner
of West Campus Drive and Broomfield Road to the training site to begin the
weekend. The helicopters lifted 11 cadets at a time and were flown by members
of the Michigan National Guard.

“It was the best experience I have ever had,” said Aaron Roehrig, Newaygo
freshman. “There is so much adrenaline pumping through your body; I just
wanted the flight to last forever.”

As the cadets landed they were immediately faced with reconnaissance missions
and had to create camp three miles away. Armed with only the clothes on their
back, canteens, a personal hygiene kit, a rucksack and cold weather gear,
the cadets began their wilderness experience.  

They slept two nights in tents with temperatures near 30 degrees.

“It was so cold I was shaking. You go and sit by the fire and you want
to bring your sleeping bag to the fire,” Roosen said. “The last thing you
want to do is leave the fire, but you know you have to get up early so you
eventually go to bed.”

The cadets rotated through five training stations including: grenade training,
crossing a river on a rope, an enemy prisoner of war exercise, basic rifle
marksmanship and a squad tactical exercise with paint ball guns.

Each exercise emphasized an important aspect of the ROTC’s program. The
stations focused on individual and team training.    

The cadets spent the most time at the rifle marksmanship station. They
learned how to assemble, aim and dismantle a standard-issued M-16 rifle.

Cadets were issued 40 rounds and were taught how to properly shoot the
weapon. They were assigned 10 targets and were graded on how well they hit
each target.

“The targets were a simulation of an enemy at 50 meters up to 300 meters.
When soldiers contract into the military they all have to learn some basic
soldier skills, one of them being how to properly shoot an M-16,” said Senior
Instructor Master Sgt. David Worley.  

Paint ball guns were used in the squad tactical exercise to demonstrate
how soldiers react in the field and cadets were graded on their performance
with a weapon in hand.

“When you actually have a weapon in your hand it helps you realize what
you know and what you don’t,” Fenton junior Chris Pendleton said. “What you
did well in, you continue doing well, what you didn’t do well in, you learn
and get better.”

Lt. Col. David Manville, Military Science chairman, said the weekend was a complete success.

“Our cadets don’t talk about communication, they are forced to communicate,”
Manville said “They don’t talk about the decisions they make, they just go
through with them and that is the experience of learning.”

From individual tactics at the grenade throwing station to team tactics
at the prisoner of war station, the FTX is a valuable experience for cadets,
Manville said.

The weekend concluded Sunday as the cadets returned to Finch Fieldhouse
and had a heated building for the first time since Friday morning.

“It was a great learning experience. It was scary and fun and I am thankful
that we all made it safely,” said Anne Marie Erfe, Sterling Heights senior.