ROTC Student vs. Normal Student

I have only had one year of college without ROTC. The difference between that year and this is huge. My freshman year I had so much time on my hands and could watch shows and go to movies and hang out with friends and spend a lot of time at the gym and so many other things. But this year I have spent every spare moment studying for Air Force exams and practicing drill and going to ROTC meetings and speaking with cadre all when I normally would have been doing homework or spending time with friends.

I don’t think I could ever really explain what it is like to be a college student in ROTC to someone who has never experienced it. But this blog is my attempt at it and I hope I have begun to give a glimpse into what I experience in college as a ROTC student.

Parade At Lead Lab

This Thursday we are having a parade for the change of command ceremony. This is when the cadet wing commander for our detachment changes command and the new wing commander takes control. Then all of the flights march around the field (it will be Marching Chiefs Field) and salute the Colonel as we go by.

This semester I am once again key personnel. I am an element leader for the flight which means I am one of the first cadets in the line of the flight and I initiate the movements. It is a good position because it allows me to show my marching skills and the cadre sees that I volunteered for the position and stand out.

The past few weeks we have been able to wear our ABUs, which are so nice and comfortable, but this week we have to wear service dress. Talk about the most uncomfortable outfit you will ever wear! It is awful. And its not just uncomfortable it is thick and so when its hot out you practically die. So this Thursday will be AWFUL! And they have shoulder pads….not sexy! :/

Detachment 145

Field Training

Maxwell Air Force Base

The other morning during my Air Force academic class we watched a video on Field Training. Up until then I had seen no pictures nor really heard any good descriptions of what anything would look like. I had just heard stories of experiences. The video was about 20 minutes long and I got a whole new look on what things will be like. I got to see the dorms, dining facility, PT pad. It was incredible! Finally being able to see the place where I will be spending 28 days of my summer. It made me want to get to Field Training right then and there and get started. While I am very excited about going, I cannot seem to figure out if I am more nervous or pumped just to go. I guess it must just be a strong combination of both.

One thing that has been so hard this summer is balancing ROTC with school. Sometimes I forget that the whole reason I am here is to get a degree for college and that I’m not just here to train with the Air Force. It is exhausted and stressful to figure out how I am going to accomplish things. I don’t just want to get things done, I want to do them and be amazing at it. I need to know that I did everything to the best of my ability and got great grades as well!

Sometimes I feel like I need to let some homework slip or miss some classes just so I can do well on the ROTC side of things. I find it so hard to find the right balance. I know that I want good grades and an excellent GPA when I graduate so it is important to do well in school. But on the other hand being in the Air Force is my future, it is going to be my career. Therefore everything that I do in AFROTC will translate to the Air Force and help me in getting jobs and located at nice Air Force bases.

As the end of this semester comes to a close, the one thing that I see and have learned is that no matter what I always need to try. I need to try and do my best, try and do the most that I can, and try to just keep going. It is definitely easy to slip into laziness and its so important for me to continue even when its hard.

And more to follow…

Last FTP Session

This morning I woke up at 0530 as usual and went to the last FTP session I will ever have to attend! It made waking up that much easier. The staff and our FTP commander showed us some sample videos from Field Training and gave us last minute advice. This is it! The semester is over and now it’s on me to study and workout so that when I get to FT I will be able to do the best that I can.

I’m excited to know that I am almost finished with this semester but I’m also nervous because this is it. The upperclassmen have done what they can to teach me and train me the best that they can and now it’s important for me to go out and show what I can do and prove that Detachment 145 is the best in the country.

To conclude this week through ROTC I will have PT on Tuesday and drill practice and changing of command in the detachment on Thursday during Lead Lab. Lead lab is each Thursday for an hour and a half where we practice things like drill and where they set up situations for us to figure out and lead the other cadets in. 

Until later tonight...

We get to wear ABUs now! YAY! (Air Battle Uniform)

Bag Drag

Before going to Field Training all of the 200s have to participate in a Bag Drag which means that all the upperclassmen and the cadre (made up of Colonel, Major, Captain and the NCOs (Non Commissioned Officers)) will yell at us and look through our bags, making sure we have everything we need. They create a mock Field Training environment to help us prepare for the summer.

At first our Bag Drag was scheduled for last Thursday and so I got up at 0430 and got to the detachment where I was yelled at, had to recite much of the knowledge I have learned this semester, and change through all my uniforms as fast as possible. Seven hours later we were released and exhausted I went home and passed out. A few days later I hear that we would once again have another Bag Drag because too many people had cried.

ARE YOU SERIOUS PEOPLE???? I was furious and could not believe that in a short amount of time 4 of the 22 cadets going to Field Training had cried. It is ridiculous behavior for those who are planning to try and get into the Air Force. It was discouraging in a way because I had done so well and to have to do another Bag Drag was not what I desired. But this past Friday I got up at 0400 and went to the detachment to go through screaming and yelling and emptying of my bag. It was totally pointless. Thankfully no one cried so we will not be having another one.

I am a sophomore in college and since it is the end of the semester I am slammed with work. On top of that I have to get up Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 0500 to do either PT or go to prep class for Field Training. Having to do two Bag Drags on top of that has made me stressed and exhausted beyond belief. Sometimes I find it frustrating when I hear other FSU students complain about finals or having to wake up at 0800. I’m like REALLY?????? I’ve been up since 0500 and can hardly keep my eyes open. It can be quite discouraging when I have to stay up until 0200 writing a paper and then have to wake up three hours later to go workout with the Air Force.

And yet I don’t complain. I want to be here. I asked for all of this. My dream is to be in the Air Force, it is to be an officer, and it is to be the best leader I can possibly be to those enlisted members that I will someday be in charge of. While I often complain and occasionally want to quit, I never do, because my dream of being in the Air Force powers me through each day. Knowing that some day I will be in the greatest military, the greatest Air Force in the world, is so encouraging and makes me so proud. To wake up early each day, when I get to wear the uniform, I know that I can make it. I know that I will be able to finish my classes with good grades and always turn in my homework on time. And if it means I have to give up hanging out with friends sometimes, or watching my favorite show, I am happy to do so because this is exactly where I want to be.

Until next post…

Service Dress Uniform

Intro to Air Force

As a FSU student involved in AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps), I see life on campus quite differently than other students. I joined ROTC thinking my life at FSU would be fairly comparable to that of my peers and expected maybe a few extra classes here and a few PT (Physical Training) sessions there. I was in for a wake up call! Not only is AFROTC not relaxed, it is incredibly competitive. I never realized that I would be fighting with everything in me to secure my spot in the Air Force! I came in as a sophomore into the program but most start as freshmen. I had to learn what other cadets had spent a year learning, in one semester. It has been stressful and often frustrating. I have had to learn to drill and march, the correct procedures for PT, how to salute and greet officers, the flag procedures such as reveille and retreat (reveille is putting up the flag, retreat is taking it down), how to wear and care for uniforms, how to write an official memo and conduct a briefing, and so many other things. I have worked hard each and every day and sought out help whenever and wherever I could find it.

This spring semester was when the 200s (sophomores) went up for their EAs (Entry Allocations, basically means you got an officer slot) so we had to buckle down and put our all into it to prove that we wanted to be there. My hard work payed off and now I am training hard to prepare for Field Training this summer.

Field Training is 28 days in Alabama where we train to be excellent leaders. It is still possible to get kicked out if you do not do well but it is a rare thing.Through this blog I will take you along my journey this semester and what I'll be expecting from here on out. I'll try and explain all acronyms and give details on all ROTC related things. It can be quite confusing if you do not know anything military related! I know I am still learning A LOT everyday!

Over and Out til tomorrow... If I get around to blogging!