Alumni Newsletter Fall and Spring Edition

Transcription

1 Alumni Newsletter Fall and Spring Edition Table of Contents: -Pg. 2-3: Fall Training -Pg. 4: Fresh Look at the Maverick Battalion and MSIV Achievements -Pg. 5: Professor of Military Science and Cadet Battalion Commander s Corner -Pg. 6: Spring Training 1

2 Fall Training FTX: The Maverick Battalion conducted a great training event at Camp Ripley, MN in September. Cadets were given the opportunity to qualify with the M4 and M16 weapons. Once qualifications were complete, they conducted aerial training inside a CH-47 Chinook, completed a land navigation course, and conducted urban terrain operations where Cadets used their squad level tactical knowledge while engaging the enemy with paintballs. Ranger Challenge: Two teams from Maverick Battalion competed in the Task Force Ripley Ranger Challenge Competition this fall. This competition was physically demanding with Cadets completing a 6 mile ruck march, Physical Fitness Test, obstacle course, rope bridge, and M4 rifle qualification range. They trained long and hard for this event and took third place. Cadets described this event as a fun experience and well worth the hard work. 9 Person Team: CDT Hiemstra CDT Printup CDT Collins CDT Piotter CDT Shaw 5 Person Team: CDT Brady CDT Gerencer CDT Mettler CDT Peterson CDT Refsland CDT Rauenhorst CDT Slowiak CDT Barnes CDT Stoss Army Ten Miler: The Maverick Battalion Ten Miler team traveled to Washington D.C. on October 10 th, They had the opportunity to tour our Nation s Capital and compete in a ten mile race through the heart of D.C. The Army Ten Miler is the second largest race in the country with roughly 30,000 participants including current serving military, veterans and wounded. Ten Miler Team: CDT Johnson CDT Ryan Rauenhorst CDT Mulvaney CDT Grove CDT Jake Rauenhorst 2

3 Dining In: This past fall semester, the Maverick Battalion hosted a Dining-In at Gustavus Adolphus College. The Cadets and Cadre got together for a night of food, skits, and a traditional drink from the ceremonious grog bowl. This annual dinner was a fun, morale boosting experience for the whole Battalion. Veterans Stride 5K: Maverick Battalion partnered with the YMCA Stride program in order to host the annual Veteran s/stride 5K. Stride is a program for youth with the mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle in young children. Some Cadets were in charge of signing in runners, handing out prizes, and performing color guard, while others were partnered with a Stride runner with whom they ran the race. The race was a complete success with over 500 runners competing and raising money for the Cadet Fund and the Stride Program. 3

4 Bataan Memorial Death March New Look at the Maverick Battalion Minnesota State University Mankato Army ROTC Maverick Battalion is always recruiting new, high quality Cadets. We are a forever growing program and value our new Cadets and the unique experiences they bring to the Battalion. This past fall we happily welcomed four new highspeed Cadets. They will do great things and be major assets to this program. Newly Contracted Cadets From left to right: Cadets- Jake Rauenhorst, Alexandra Brady, Bethany Dallenbach, Mckenzi Wenninger Cadet of the Fall Semester Cadet Alexandra M. Brady is a native of Chanhassen. She entered the United States Army on 06 May 2015 and attended Basic Combat Training. Then after successful completion of Advanced Individual Training where she was awarded the MOS 68W10. Upon her graduation, she was assigned to Company C, 334 th Brigade Support Battalion, Camp Dodge, Iowa as a Health Care Specialist. In August 2017, she was assigned to 2 nd Battalion, 135 th Infantry, Headquarters and Headquarters Company in Mankato, Minnesota as a Combat Medic. Upon starting school at Minnesota State University-Mankato, Cadet Alexandra M. Brady enrolled in the Maverick Battalion ROTC program in August Since her enrollment, she has been involved in numerous Cadet activities and events to include: participation on the 5-man Ranger Challenge team, Fall FTX, battalion fundraisers, mentor/mentee program and most recently began training for the KU Buddy Ranger competition. She was recognized with a commander s coin for her performance on the Fall FTX and leadership. Cadet Alexandra M. Brady s is currently pursuing a Bachelor s of Science Degree in Biomedical Sciences/Pre-Medicine at Minnesota State University- Mankato. MSIV Achievements Cadet Joshua Grove received the George C. Marshall Award for ranking in the top 15% of his peers at Advanced Camp, doing an outstanding job as the BC for the Fall 2017 Semester, and for excelling in both ROTC and academics at Bethany Lutheran College. 4

5 Professor of Military Science Major Rogers The program s goal continues to be educating, training, and mentoring a diverse and talented group of Cadets into becoming adaptive leaders committed to the Army Ethos and Profession of Arms. The ultimate end state is to produce talented leaders of character who are innovative problem solvers, physically and mentally resilient, and skilled at both oral and written communication who steward the profession and get results. The 70 Cadets who currently make up the MNSU ROTC program truly represent the very best of Minnesota State University, Gustavus Adolphus and Bethany Lutheran Universities, including our community values and pride in serving our nation. The program s commitment to excellence resulted in winning this year s Douglas MacArthur award, which is awarded to the top ROTC BN in the BDE. Our Cadets continue to train to standard while providing support to the local community. Combined, all of these performance results clearly point to the quantitative and qualitative strength of the Maverick Army ROTC program. Go Mavericks! Cadet Battalion Commander s Corner Cadet David Johnson is the new Cadet Battalion Commander for the MNSU ROTC Program. c/ltc Johnson Below is a message from him: I am proud of the hard work Maverick Battalion has accomplished this past semester and look forward to the next couple of weeks as we head into the end of the semester. The next few weeks will be focused on preparing for the TFTX, military ball, commissioning ceremony, and Cadet summer training. Remember to finish this semester strong by remaining driven and focused in all aspects of your life to ensure future success at Cadet training, and your future career as an Army Officer. "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure" - Colin Powell 5

6 Spring Training Klondike Derby- The Maverick Battalion conducted the annual Klondike Derby at Norseland Boy Scout Camp on 10FEB2018 to educate kids on the safety and fun of the outdoors. We ran many lanes to disperse a wide variety of knowledge including: how to build fires, how to prevent and aid in cold water injuries, and how to shoot black powder weapons. It was a great experience for both the Cadets and Scouts. Lead Labs and PT- The Maverick Battalion is attending PT three times a week to boost our strength and endurance to prepare to be the best officers out there. We will be conducting Super Lead Labs on the 24 th of February and the 17 th of March to conduct training for the Battalion in Platoon attacks and movements. All training events this semester are set up to resemble Advanced Camp to ensure success for all of the MSIII s this summer. Future Spring 2018 Semester Events Maverick Battalion will participate in the Bataan Death March on 25 March, KU Buddy Ranger Challenge 6-8 April, TFTX April and to close out the semester we will conduct the Military Ball/ Commissioning Ceremony on 3 May Thank you for your support Go Mavericks! 6