ROTC: Service begins just after graduation
Continued from page 4
his airborne certification at Fort
Benning, Ga. The certification is a
three-week course that focuses on
paratrooper training.
“Any time they pay you to jump out
of airplanes ... it’s awesome,” Ruddell
said of his experience.
He also trained with a 101st Air
borne division artillery unit at Fort
Campbell, Ky.
“You go to a unit and you shadow a
lieutenant... someone’s job that you’ll
be doing in a matter of a year,” Ruddell
said. “Once there you’re treated like a
second lieutenant. Everybody salutes
you, you’re called ‘sir’ and everything
else, and you work.”
After all the training is done, the
cadet’s performance in training,
class and campus activities is as
sessed and he or she is placed on a
national “Order of Merit List.”
Those at the top of the list have the
best shot at receiving the assign
ments they want. The top 20 per
cent on the Order of Merit List get
the Distinguished Military Graduate
award if their professor of military
science recommends them.
The workload has been stressful
at times over the past four years,
Ruddell said.
“Junior year, you get pretty burnt
out, but you have a goal. So even
though you’re getting burnt out,
you’re working toward something so
you look at it like that,” he said. “Se
nior year, you’ve already gotten your
branch, you’re not being
evaluated anymore, ... so it’s
difficult to maintain that motivation
and that drive to give back to the
cadet core.”
Overall, Ruddell said he feels he had
done a good job staying
motivated. He hopes to better prepare
himself for the Army by teaching
younger military science students and
staying in top physical condition. One
of his major responsibilities is to help
r
plan and conduct military science lab
sessions.
“All the leadership labs are de
signed to improve the cadets in one
way or another,” he said. “Whether
it’s getting them ready for future
training, or getting them ready for
camp or anything else. ”
Ruddell has drawn praise from
instructors for his abilities as well.
“His interpersonal skills area real
ly quite
extraordi
nary,”
said Capt.
James
Miller, a
military
science in
structor.
"He has a
very gen
uine, good
sense of humor. Whenever someone
expresses something to him, he al
ways seems to have the right way to
respond to it.”
Cadets are required to wear uni
forms around campus every Thursday,
which causes ROTC students to stand
out in classes. Ruddell said people
don’t always understand the uniforms.
“I think (people) just see the uni
form as opposed to the person,”
Ruddell said. “When we’re in uni
form, granted we’re required to act
in certain ways, lets say, for politics.
I can’t talk about whether I like the
president or whether I don’t like the
president. ... I can’t speak for
the military.
“It’s just like a uniform for any oth
er type of job. When I wear that, I
represent (the Army).”
Ruddell said he and other ROTC
cadets were marching to camp once
and a passerby leaned out of her
car and said “I hope you all die
over there. ”
“I just kind of feel sorry for people
that feel like that or act like that,”
Ruddell said. “As a soldier, you have
no control over policy ... We sign up
to serve the people; we don’t sign up
to serve the president.”
After graduation, cadets are re
quired to spend at least four years in
active duty and an additional four
years in the Army Reserve. Ruddell
will enter the Army on June 17 as a
second lieutenant, then work as a
recruiter over the summer.
In November, Ruddell will attend
the Infantry
Officer Basic
Course at
Fort Ben
ning, Ga. Af
ter that, he
expects to
receive com
mand of a
group of en
listed sol
diers, some
of whom may have been in the Army
for far longer than he has.
“It’s going to be interesting, getting
in there with everybody that’s already
had combat experience,” he said. “And
there’s not really going to be an easy
way of doing it.”
Ruddell doesn’t know where he’ll
be stationed yet, but he hopes to be
in Hawaii, Alaska or Germany in a
light or mechanized infantry or air
borne division.
“One of our cadre members just
came down from Alaska and had a lot
of good stories,” Ruddell said. “People
jumping out of planes and getting
neck-deep in snow when they hit the
ground.”
Ruddell said he isn’t scared of the
chance of being deployed.
“I see it as ... inevitable.” he said.
“It’s what I signed up for. If I don’t go,
that would mean that someone else
would have to go.... I think it’s selfish
of me to say, ‘No, I’m not going to go,
I’m going to make someone else risk
their life for me.’”
adamcherry@ dailyemerald, com
“He has a very genuine, good sense
of humor. Whenever someone
expresses something to him, he
always seems to have the right
way to respond to it. ”
Capt. James Miller | Military science instructor
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