CRB NEWSLETTER Charles River Battalion November 5th, 2013 Fall Field Training Exercise Mission: The Charles River Battalion conducts the Fall Field Training Exercise at Fort Devens, MA, from 27-29 SEP 13, to train and assess cadets on individual and collective LDAC tasks. To complete this mission, the cadets of the Charles River Battalion spent a weekend in Fort Devens familiarizing themselves with the M16 A2 rifle in Basic Rifle Marksmanship, tying Swiss seats to rappel off of a 50 foot tower, using critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the Field Leader Reaction Course (FLRC), and conducting several iterations of day and night land navigation. For many cadets, this was their first time eating MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and firing a weapon. This not only provided insight for new cadets into the skills they will be developing in ROTC, but also provided the junior class an opportunity to practice their leadership skills for their training and assessment in the upcoming summer, at the Leader s Development and Assessment Course (LDAC). Those who succeed in the Army ROTC program are students who excel and want something more out of the college experience. Generally, these students are scholars who keep their grades up, athletes who are physically strong and leaders who have a great desire to learn. In This Issue Fall Field Training Exercise Spotlight on Prior Service Summer Training: LTC Project GO BU CULP Program Calling All Alumni! Commander s Comments Photo Gallery Contact Us
CRB Conducts Pass In Review On October 22nd, the cadets of the Charles River Battalion participated in a tri-service Pass in Review ceremony for their leadership. The Pass In Review is a long standing military tradition in which a commander inspects his or her troops. The ceremony requires the troops to be disciplined and well-versed in Drill and Ceremony, so that when they march by the commander s party they can be seen as an impressive force. Mark Ostroski Spotlight on Prior Service Mark Ostroski, MSII, Bridgewater State University The CRB was delighted to welcome Colonel Everett S. Spain as the reviewing officer for the ceremony. In his speech to the cadets, he emphasized the qualities of leadership that are to be expected of them, including Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. Before ROTC, my MOS was 31B or Military Police Officer. I was a Specialist and my job ranged from gunner to eventually team leader in the 4 th brigade 10 th Mountain Division out of Fort Polk, LA. I trained as a combat or brigade MP towards my deployment scheduled in October 2010 and spent time as a gunner to familiarize myself with weapons and all other concurrent training. I decided to apply for a Green to Gold scholarship so that I could push forward my leadership skills and become a commissioned officer. The leadership of the MSIV s and cadre members is helping to develop my problem solving and leadership skills so that I can one day become a role model for my soldiers. When I am commissioned I would like to branch into the infantry as an active duty officer, in hopes to shape and define my soldiers to become experts and professionals at everything they do. The Cadet Staff Stands at Attention I believe that great leadership is not defined as who you are, but rather who your subordinates are and how they react to situations and obstacles presented to them. My advice for the cadets in the Army Charles River Battalion who have never had prior enlisted experience is to be thinking soldiers. As future Army Officers, it is up to you to make a difference, your soldiers will follow if you prove that you can lead.
Cadets participate in a road march (left), conduct battle drills as a squad (middle), and negotiate obstacles (right) Leader s Training Course (LTC) Christina La Fleur, MSIII, Boston University LTC (Leader s Training Course) is a summer camp for cadets who did not complete Basic Course for the ROTC program. The camp takes two years of Leadership Labs, PT, and various ceremonies, and condenses them into 29 days of constant Army. Constant Army is a concept that is completely foreign to most cadets until they go to LDAC. Constant Army is never having more than 7 hours of sleep, and rarely more than 5. It means cleaning toilets during fire guard and, for some people, their very first totally open showers and the disappearance of any concept of privacy. It means standing at parade rest while waiting in line for chow, snapping to attention every time you take a single step forward. It means marching everywhere. For prior service cadets, this is hardly anything new. In fact, LTC represents a marketing, more than training, opportunity for the ROTC program, and so has a high adventure focus and far more lax environment compared to Basic Training or other programs outside ROTC. But the typical campus cadet never has experienced anything even close to this. Beyond the day to day grind, LTC provides two unique experiences: drill sergeants and water operations. All the other events and activities of LTC are replicated in some degree in a typical military science class progression. However those dreaded figures, along with one of the best team- building activities, are unique to the LTC experience. Water operations began with each squad looking through a pile of junk and working together to build a boat out of it. Like a lot of activities, the success of the mission depended on the cooperation of the whole team, but few things are more motivating than beating the other squads in a breakneck race. Next you put your ruck on the line by building a raft, again with your buddy, made of your own packs, boots, rubber ducks (fake M16 rifles), and ponchos. Try dipping your only set of dry clothes in the lake. Now imagine the feeling of success and pride in your team when they come out bone dry. That is what water ops does. On the other hand, few words can fill a platoon with more dread than the words half left FACE. It means pushups are coming. A lot of them. It means you are in deep. Drill sergeants were there in your face nearly 24
Leader s Training Course, continued hours a day: to wake you up, to turn off the lights, to wake you up again once the lights were turned off, and all day long. You don t make the same mistake twice when the first time leaves you in the first count of the squat bender until told otherwise. Drill sergeants are most often incredibly experienced and knowledgeable people, and those at LTC are no exception. As the month progresses they tell more of their stories, and, intentionally or unintentionally, impress cadets and instill respect beyond rank or their ability to demand corrective PT. The LTC experience is like nothing else in the ROTC program. It is a new kind of exposure, a whole different level of team building, and involves completely different kinds of pressures. Even for a cadet who has been involved for some time on campus, the relationship with drill sergeants and your squad inevitably changes your view of Army, ROTC, and your role in all of it. An LTC Experience Kait Phelan, MSIII, Wheaton College This summer I attended the Leadership Training Course at Fort Knox. From June 16 th to July 17 th, I learned basic soldiering skills and caught up to my peers in the ROTC program. I was very proud to represent Boston University and Wheaton College at LTC. Cadet Anthony D Angelo (top left) and Cadet Kait Phelan (bottom left) participate in the Obstacle Course and FLRC, respectively. LTC cadets work together in a team building exercise (bottom right).
LTC Take Three Ryan Coolen, MSIII, Curry College CDT Kelsey Kornblut and CDT Wojtasinki on the Great Wall of China Being part of Leaders Training Course from 08July to 05AUG has made me a stronger person both physically and mentally and prepared me greatly for the many years ahead. Between the amount of training I endured and the people I worked with, I would not trade this experience for anything. Cadet, Student, World Traveler Kelsey Kornblut, MSIII, Boston University This summer I studied abroad at Fudan University in Shanghai, China through Project Global Officer (Project GO) and learned a year s worth of Mandarin Chinese in 8 weeks. Also studying abroad with me was Cadet Wojtasinski and 35 other Army, Air Force, and Navy Cadets/Midshipmen from around the country as well as regular BU students, which made for a very diverse and fun group. I had studied 2 years of Chinese at Boston University already, so I was taking advanced Third Year Chinese while I was there. During the week, I had 3 hours of classroom instruction and a 15-minute one on one session with a professor each day. During the weekends, I was able to explore Shanghai and other cities in China to include Suzhou, Wuzhen, and Qingdao. The program also took us to Beijing for a week where we got to climb the Great Wall, visit Tiananmen Square, and walk around the Forbidden City. While I learned over 2,000 characters from my textbook this summer, just being directly immersed in the culture improved my Chinese more than textbooks and classes ever could have. Some of the best speaking I ever did was with cab drivers, hotel employees, cooks at food stands, and sales people at bargain markets. Overall, the knowledge and cultural understanding that I gained while I was in China this summer is something that I will always be grateful for and I cannot wait until I can go back. I truly could not recommend doing Project GO in Shanghai enough. Cadet Ryan Coolen stands at attention for the camera
History Lesson Military education at Boston University dates back to World War I, when the Student s Army Training corps was established. Units have been on campus since 1919, with the exception of a ten-year period during the 1970s. Army ROTC s presence at Boston University resumed in 1980 when it was accorded recognition as a host detachment. More then three thousand military officers have received degrees from Boston University. Some two thousand one hundred officers have been commissioned through Boston University s Army ROTC program. Cadet Zaniewski with Paraguayan cadets in the English classroom. Military and Culture Combine Cadet Benjamin Zaniewski, MSII, Stonehill College This past summer I participated in the USACC's CULP Program (Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency). I was selected to travel to the South American country of Paraguay with a team of 12 cadets from schools across the United States. Our mission was to serve as an English language training team. We taught Paraguayan military officers, civilians, students, and Paraguayan cadets lessons on the English language through the Paraguayan Ministry of Defense. Our team also met and worked with members of the United States Embassy and did several public relations events including celebrating the birthday of the Army with high ranking officials in both the Paraguayan and United States military. I was fortunate enough to meet up with an Army Special Forces ODA and receive extremely valuable training with marksmanship on a number of weapon platforms. Our team also visited the neighboring country of Argentina, rappelled off a rock face, explored the local markets, and interacted with countless citizens. It provided me with an increased global awareness, a better appreciation for the Army outside of ROTC, and a desire to travel around the world. The whole trip was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend it to any cadet looking for a once in a lifetime adventure.
Calling All Alumni! Whether you have two years or twenty years of experience in the Army, the cadets of the Charles River Battalion would like to hear about your experiences since commissioning as 2nd Lieutenants. Please fill us in by sending us a profile of yourself to CDT Yaghoobian at tgy@bu.edu, in the following format: - Picture - 1-2 paragraphs, including: When you graduated from ROTC, and in what branch Current position and location, explanation of duties Previous command, staff and special assignments Military and any extra civilian education We look forward to hearing from you! Commander s Comments Boston University Army ROTC 9 Decades and Still Going Army Strong I want to personally extend warmest regards and thanks to our distinguished graduates, our department s supporters, and 9 decades of Army Officers from Boston University ROTC. I am personally humbled and grateful for the experience to lead this organization. These are extremely exciting times here at BU and in our program. I am so amazed by the quality of the Cadets, their commitment to Service, and their eagerness to uphold the legacy we all are a part of. The program is strong and commissioning outstanding officers for all components of the Army. Boston University Army ROTC is at a critical juncture. We can no longer delay in establishing a strong and enduring alumni organization that is capable of positive influence for the future of the Charles River Battalion. We could use your help in two areas. First, we need to improve and update our records in order to achieve the broadest possible circulation of a semesterly newsletter. The newsletter is written and designed by Cadets in order to connect our future with our past. Any updates on addresses or where alumni are at in the world is greatly appreciated. Second, we need a collective voice and organization that can muster resources to make our Cadets more competitive, either through influence or donations. Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and assisting in passing our message along. It is our goal to make this newsletter endure by inculcating our Cadets with the Charles River Battalion tradition and their role in making a difference for future generations of Officers from Boston University. We also intend to use this as a mechanism to communicate links to our Facebook page, our Linked In page, events such as an alumni reception, and ways to stay connected. Thank you again for your Service and your interest in Boston University Army ROTC.
Photo Gallery Contact Us Detachment 128 Baystate Rd Boston MA, 02215 Phone: (617)-3534025/4026 Fax 617-353-7270 Recruiting Operations Officer: Major Josh Goodrich Phone: 617-353-4025 Email: joshgood@bu.edu Boston University Army ROTC Born Free Serve Free Die Free Boston University Army ROTC 128 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 Cadets navigate FLRC obstacles (top left), direct each other in FLRC lanes (top right), compete in the triservice military competition Sheehan Cup (second row, left), conduct Squad STX (second row, middle), conduct a swim test (second row, right), conduct combat oriented PT (bottom left), and participate in Pass in Review (bottom right)