ROTC students calm about war
By Jessica Sanders
Staff Reporter

Despite the possibility of war, students in ROTC said they view their futures in the military as an opportunity for careers, not as chances for danger and seeing combat.

Col. James House, a military science professor, said ROTC does not adjust the curriculum when the threat of war arises because students’ training begins their freshman year. By the time they graduate, the world situation will be very different than when they came in, he said.

“The things we were looking for in an officer six months ago are the same things we are looking for in an officer today,” House said. “Our mission has not changed.”

Maj. Kristin Kremer, a professor of military science, said 86 percent of Army ROTC’s 14 graduating seniors will go into active duty and the others will go into the Reserves.

Sam Denton, a senior speech communication major, said students in ROTC learn more about leadership and being officers than about combat situations.

“In ROTC they train us some in infantry tactics because it helps test leadership skills,” said Denton, an Army ROTC battalion commander.

Students who complete the four years of Army or Air Force ROTC start with the rank of second lieutenant in whatever branch of service they choose, House said.

House said if the draft were enforced today, students enrolled in ROTC would not be called up to active duty.

“During the Vietnam War, some people elected ROTC in college instead of going to war,” House said.

Seniors are given their assignments before graduation and enroll in officer training programs after graduation, Denton said.

Denton said he will go into active duty as a military intelligence officer after graduation.

Military intelligence deals with combat-related issues such as counter intelligence and getting maps of enemy territory, Denton said. He also said he is not worried about going to war.

“I am very curious to see what is going to happen,” Denton said. “It does have a very direct effect on my life.”

Patrick Taylor, a junior geography major, said he hopes the United States will not go to war but that ROTC has prepared him to serve if necessary.

“I definitely feel safe because I know the United States can handle it,” said Taylor, an Air Force ROTC second lieutenant. “I don’t want to go to war, but if they send me I’ll go.”

Andy Pratt, a senior education major, said she is preparing for a career as a member of the Satellite Corps in the Army.

Pratt, the Army ROTC public relations officer, said she and her husband Donny Pratt, a senior marketing major, want to be stationed in Germany. However, they are aware that troops stationed there have a very high rate of deployment, she said.

“We know what we are going into,” Andy Pratt said. “I would rather be well-trained than not trained at all.”

Deployment can include anything from training to peace-keeping missions in Bosnia, Andy Pratt said.

Melisa Amen, a junior social work major, said it is unlikely she will ever see a combat situation because she is a woman and decided to go into counseling.

Amen, an Air Force ROTC first lieutenant, said she hopes to get a job as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor for the Air Force.

“I really wanted to be in ROTC because I wanted to be a pilot initially, but I was too short,” Amen said.

Amen said she decided to join ROTC anyway and pursue a career in counseling because she has always enjoyed working with people.

“I wouldn’t really care where I got stationed if I got (a counseling job) because I would love it so much,” Amen said.

Jessica Sanders