N o vem b er 2, 2011
Portland (Observer
Page 19
Fostering New Military Heroes
c o n t i n u e d f r o m front
however, many cadets who want to
go through the ROTC program may
not be as fortunate.
“The Army is downsizing and
up to 50,000 soldiers have been cut
from active duty within the last
year,” said Lt. Col. Lewis Doyle, a
professor of military science at the
University of Portland. “If a student
were to walk in right now, they
couldn’t get a contract.”
According to Doyle, because of
the war on terror, recruiting num
bers for the Army are up. “We
thought we would have more need,
but now, our need has been re
duced,” he said.
Consequently, the process to
become an officer on active duty
has become more competitive.
"There are some cadets out there
who know they want to be army
officers, but the army is full,” said
Doyle. “And what’s worse is there
is a cap on how many students can
join the ROTC program.”
ROTC is one of three traditional
routes to become an officer in the
photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
Army, including WestPoint and
if.
Col.
Lewis
Doyle,
a
professor
of
military
science
at
University of Portland, works in his office in
O fficer Candidate School, said
the Reserve Officers' Training Corps building on the north Portland campus where he helps train
Doyle.
“The benefit of ROTC is you get future officers of the United States Army.
a traditional college experience,” he and the university, provides pre- more people who want to be in the a need, and people needed scholar-
said. “The army wants the cadets to requisite leadership training qualifi- Army than in the Reserves.”
ships. But now, there isn’t enough
have that college experience be cations for students desiring to earn
This year, he said, the army is money.
cause they are learning respect, self- appointments as Second Lieuten expecting 5,643 cadets to graduate,
‘I see it (the cuts) as a good and
sufficiency and experience with a ants in the United States Army, Army and 3,962 cadets are eligible for ac- a bad thing,” said LaMarca. “It is
wider range of cultures.”
Reserve, or the Army National tive duty.
good because it is a tougher pro
The intent for the students within Guard.
“But there isn’t enough space,” cess, and the Army is going
__ to get
the elective program, in which over
Of the graduating class from said Doyle. “Roughly 1,000 who are better quality people because it
120 Army cadets took part last year, ROTC, a certain number of cadets eligible won’t get active duty be- won’tbeasmuchaboutfillingslots.”
is that they are first and foremost go onto either Active Duty or the cause there are congressional man-
He said, however, it makes things
students at the university, said Army Reserves.
dated limits, known as end-strength, a lot more difficult because it puts a
Doyle.
According to Doyle, the choice to how big we can be as an army.” lot of pressure on students trying to
For nearly 15 years, the United is usually made by cadets within the
According to Doyle, the univer- get those slots, and with the junior
States Army has operated a military program, but the spots available to sity had 90 to 95 percent of students class so large, there are extras,
science and leadership unit of the go into active duty are becoming on scholarship for the program two
“So the students coming here
Reserve Officers' Training Corps at smaller as more cuts are being made years ago. "But that rate is going just for the money may not make it
the University of Portland, which to the number of individuals within down,” he said. “There are 16 sopho- if their heart and souls are not in
enables future officers a chance to the military.
mores waiting to sign a contract to ROTC,” said Doyle. “What I want
simultaneously study a discipline
“The Reserves aren’t full time,” become an officer, but the junior from my students, and what I qualify
of their choice.
he said. “It is a part-time service to class is 50, when historically it was as success is first, that they gradu-
The elective program, which is a the country, which is good too, but 20.”
ate and earn their commission.”
cooperative effort between the Army there are always, in my experience,
He said the Army in the past had
Doyle also considers success to
be when students have their choice
o f active Guard Reserve, and then
choose the job they want to do in
the Army, versus the Army telling
them what they want.
Even with the current cut to the
number of open spaces available,
however, students who are a part of
the elective ROTC program have
high-hopes for their futures.
Everyone who graduates will, at
a minimum, have a part time job as an
Army officer with some benefits,
said Doyle.
Danielle Bibbs, a Journalism and
Communications major in her senior
year at the U of P, began the ROTC
program as a freshman, and against
her father’s wishes. She chose to
become a Reserves officer. “I am a
person of many interests,” she said.
“A 24/7 Army job is not my thing.”
Now that she has been selected
for Reserve duty. Bibbs said she will
have to find a unit to work with and
a civilian job. “I also want to go to
culinary school,” she said.
According to Bibbs, the ROTC
program has not only given her ex
perience on how to be a good of
ficer, but also how to be a decent
human being.
“The Army is a values-based
organization,” said Doyle. “And we
expect that out of cadets too, so we
hold them to higher standards.”
He said, however, there is a com
mon misconception that ROTC is a
scholarship program. “But in real
ity, it is an officership program," he
said.
Although scholarships are often
offered to get high-quality appli
cants, he said it is their job to get
them from seeing dollar signs to
wanting to save their country.
And that is what these cadets
want to do, he said. “ It is n ’t all
about the m oney. They know
w hat is com ing dow n the road.
T hey are the first g en eratio n
since W orld W ar II to raise th eir
hands to be an arm y o fficer and
go into co m b a t.”
“This is a generation of heroes,”
he said.