Call of Duty: Students. Soldiers. And so much more.
Beth Sharb
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: Feature
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Despite rising early, ROTC members lose no enthusiasm for their involvement with the US Army. Most cite financial help as a reason for joining, but senior Chris Philhower and sophomore Zach Starcher agreed: "I'd still do this if I wasn't getting paid."
Without ROTC, Philhower says he would be "$100,000 in debt, probably."
Though he did not enter ROTC as a freshman, after losing financial aid, he decided to try it.
"I ended up loving it," he said. Now the Crusader Battalion Commander, he will be a commissioned second lieutenant in the infantry upon graduation.
While the military was never a life plan for Philhower, sophomore Jordan Ritter has always known he would one day wear camouflage. "I knew when I was a little boy," he said.
Danyelle and Amanda McDonald, junior and freshman, respectively, have also planned on joining the army for some time. "Dad was in the army, so it's kind of in my blood," Danyelle said.
The McDonald sisters are one of five sets of siblings in the Crusader Battalion: Andrew and Evan Belt, Gabe and Bethany Koshinsky, Aaron and Uriah Landoll, and Jessica and Madison Battersby.
"We all love it and we drag our siblings with us," Danyelle said.
What's to love about waking up early and doing lots of running? Plenty.
They've rode in Blackhawks, jumped out of airplanes, played paintball, and rappelled. But it's the out-of-school bonding that makes them family-and ROTC members are emphatic about the fact that they are closer than classmates.
"We're family," Starcher said. "If we needed something, everyone would be there to help. No questions asked."
Media credit: Glenn Cline
This year, Capital's Ranger Challenge team placed 7th of 48 teams, beating schools such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Vanderbilt. Ranger Challenge is a whole-day competition starting at 3:30 a.m. and ending around 1:30 a.m. the following morning. One event follows another, culminating in a 6 mile run through the mountains of Kentucky at night with a full combat load.
Training for Ranger Challenge requires a commitment above and beyond the regular ROTC training regimen. They train 6 days a week for over two months, with one such day requiring a 10 mile march at 4:30 a.m. to Nationwide Arena.
12 members of the Crusader Battalion participated in the Army 10-Miler, a run through Washington, DC. Team members were Jed Cooper, Christopher Huebner, Bethany Koshinsky, Aaron Landoll, Uriah Landoll, Danyelle McDonald, Shelby Miller, Chris Philhower, Evan Riegle, Zach Starcher, and Natalie Thiel.
"There are wounded warriors that go before you. Guys finish who have prosthetic legs," Philhower said.
Each finished the ten mile trek within two hours and five minutes, with the fastest cadets finishing within an hour and a half of the starting shot.
While Ritter joked that ROTC requires time management skills and meant that he could not play Call of Duty all the time, no one in ROTC is cavalier about their duty.
"We have the mentality that we're representing more than just ourselves," Starcher said.
By Beth Sharb
Editor in chief
bsharb@gmail.com
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