The average college student has a substantial workload placed on his or her shoulders, but for a Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadet, the weight is even larger.
The Raider Battalion, Shippensburg’s ROTC unit, strives to create and commission the best officers possible, each year, resulting in a busy and demanding schedule for cadets. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, before sunrise, cadets have a physical training session, which includes anything from a four-mile run, to pushups, a fast-paced sport, like basketball or ultimate Frisbee.
Apart from three days of PT, weekly, it is expected that a cadet work out on their own, in order to improve their Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) score. The APFT consists doing as many push-ups and sit-ups as they can in two minutes. The final event in the APFT is a two-mile run.
Cadets must work hard to not only pass the test, but also achieve a maximum score.
Twice a week, cadets put on their uniform and go to class or lab, where they acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed as a commissioned officer.
Class, lab and PT are all mandatory parts of the ROTC program; however, there are many opportunities for cadets to improve themselves outside of class. One such opportunity is the Ranger challenge team, in which a group of cadets competes against other schools’ ROTC programs in a series of vigorous and demanding challenges.
Other opportunities that cadets can take part in are participating in the color guard for sporting events, being on the cannon crew for football games in the fall, or helping out at local high schools with their Junior ROTC programs.
On some weekends cadets participate in training exercises. These exercises include practicing land navigation, squad movements, or individual movement techniques. Once a year the Raider Battalion has a joint field training exercise with other schools to practice and hone their skills even more.
Cadets put all of this work in during their years at Shippensburg University to prepare themselves for the summer training event, prior to their senior year. During this event, they show their skills and are ranked against every cadet in the country to compete for the job of their choice in the Army.
The ROTC program may be challenging and time-consuming for a college student, but all of these challenges lead to an amazing experience and an even greater reward.
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