Attention! What Actually is ROTC?

You may have seen them presenting the flags at a football or hockey game, or maybe just walking across campus, but who are these cadets clad in camo, and where do they come from? They are the Army ROTC cadets of St. Lawrence University, but most of the time, they are regular students.   

 Reserve Officer Training Corps is a program designed to help students earn their college degrees while simultaneously preparing them to be the next generation of Army leaders. The combination of military training alongside higher education emerged in the US during the mid-1800s to prepare and maintain a competent force of regular Army or state militia officers.   

The program came to St. Lawrence in 1919 as the Students Army Training Corps, with over 200 students and alumni participants. Later, in 1950, the program was renamed ROTC and given the focus to train and commission officers for the Army’s Military Police Corps. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, ROTC became a major part of campus life, hosting events like the “Turkey Shoot” at the rifle range and putting on their yearly inspection on what is now the Richard F. Bousn ’52 University Quad. As time went on, student participation in the program slumped until, eventually, the SLU ROTC program was closed in 1990. Luckily, its legacy lives on through neighboring Clarkson University. Also known as the Golden Knight Battalion, students from SLU, Clarkson, Potsdam and Canton all train together under one program to become future Army officers.    

Army cadets, both past and present, balance a schedule of academic coursework and Army training, as well as any clubs, sports or jobs they have on campus. It can be a demanding time commitment, but the more you put in, the more you get out of it. A typical week consists of three physical training days, one or two Military Science courses, and a two-hour lab on Thursday afternoons.   

Each PT Day has a different theme: Mondays are usually cardio days, Wednesdays tend to be weight training in the gym, and Fridays are some sort of game of Squad competition or game such as soccer, football or ultimate frisbee.   

The MS class teaches the basics of how the Army works, an overview of tactics, and general Army knowledge. These classes are taught by highly skilled officers who have close to a century of experience in the Army profession.  

And finally, the labs are a hands-on environment to apply and refine the skills learned in class. Throughout the year, these labs will include repelling off a 30-foot tower, an obstacle course, basic rifle marksmanship, learning how to navigate using military maps and how to properly conduct an attack, ambush, raid, movement to contact, and defense at the squad and platoon level.   

Cadets also have the option to join extracurricular ROTC teams such as Color Guard, which focuses on drill and ceremony; Ranger Challenge, which competes annually at Fort Dix in teamwork and physical fitness events; Ten Mile Team, which races teams from across the country in Washington D.C., Army Soccer, Army Hockey and Army Basketball.    

There are a lot of benefits to doing Army ROTC, and each cadet has a different reason for participating. One of the most common benefits to be mentioned is the opportunity to compete for an Army Scholarship, which covers tuition and provides a book stipend of $600 per semester and a living stipend of $420 per month. This year, all six St. Lawrence cadets are on scholarship, and so are most of the cadets from our partner schools. Another great benefit is a guaranteed job as soon as you graduate. You have the option to compete for full-time employment in the active-duty force or choose part-time employment in either the Army Reserves or in your State’s Army National Guard. Once you’re in the Army, you can complete your eight-year obligation and get out, or you can make it a career and stay in for twenty years. Equally as important, if not more so, is the chance to serve your nation and community, to preserve and defend the freedoms most people take for granted, and to honor the memories of those soldiers who have gone before and paid the ultimate sacrifice.  

To those of you who are wary about joining or are just not that into “typical’ Army stuff, there are some things you should know. Firstly, participating in ROTC does not mean automatic membership in the military. Non-contracted cadets are students either trying ROTC out as a club or working towards getting contracted and are free to leave the program if they decide that ROTC is not for them. Secondly, the Army is much more than “front line” soldiers. The Army employs nearly a million soldiers across the Regular Army, Army Reserve and National Guard, but roughly 70 percent of those soldiers are in combat support roles, such as doctors, lawyers, logisticians, mechanics, scientists, human resources and accountants. Pretty much any job you can think of you can find in the Army.   

From its humble beginnings in 1919, through its golden age of the 1960s, and on to the present, Army ROTC at St. Lawrence continues to be a unique and unmatched experience for students to improve their self-confidence, teamwork abilities and leadership skills. It is more than just a club or a job; it is a family that will challenge you to reach new heights and give you the tools to accomplish things you never thought possible. Are you ready to be all you can be?