Cadet Justin Adams led a volunteer tip to New York following Hurricane Sandy.  During Thanksgiving break we helped with storm cleanup.  When we arrived in New York we went to a volunteer center at St. Matthews Church in Brooklyn NY.  At St. Matthews we were given cleaning supplies, protective equipment, and a ride to the Volunteer Fire House in Breezy Point NY. 

The ride too Breezy Point took almost an hour due to traffic, and some of the damage done by the storm caused detours.  After passing through a security checkpoint (to make sure we weren’t looting) we finally entered Breezy Point.  The damage was unbelievable.  Cars carried were away by the storm surge and strewn all over the road.  Boats were ripped from their docks and floated into the middle of streets, front yards, and in some cases through someone’s house during the storm.   After the water receded these boats and cars were left scattered all over the neighborhood.   Some homes were even pulled right off of their foundations. 

 The hardest hit area was a tightly packed neighborhood behind the firehouse on Beach 210 St.  During the storm a transformer had shorted out causing a fire.  This fire spread through the dense neighborhood burning down 111 homes.  This blaze was very difficult to fight according to Breezy point firefighters because in the flooding their apparatus malfunctioned.  In addition there was a very real danger of being swept away by the storm surge in some areas.  These firemen were unable to receive support from the FDNY for several hours because of the flooding.   This made stopping the fire nearly impossible.  Eventually the fire was extinguished

Cadets Adams and I spent our time in Breezy Point working for “Operation Gut and Pump”.  This was a group of Breezy Point residents and volunteer firefighters who helped gut homes and pump out the flood water.  This was an important task following the Storm because if wet materials sat for too long mold would begin to grow.  If the mold growth could not be stopped quickly the home could quickly become unsalvageable.  We spent many hours in dark and flooded basements removing water, sand, and garbage.  When we removed insulation from one home I distinctly remember mistaking several dead rats for a piece of insulation.  I realized the mess I was in when I felt the bones crunch in my hand.  Gutting homes was an extremely messy process which sometimes required a strong stomach.    

The fire department provided us with tools and directed our activities.  They were receiving donations in the form of supplies, money, and food from all over the country.  Looking back this group of volunteers was extremely organized and very impressive to work with.  During our trip we met people from all over the country; power line workers from Kentucky, firefighters from New York City, Ohio, and Massachusetts.  We came across Wall Street Bankers, County Prosecutors, and even a construction worker from Vermont.                    

 The residents of Breezy Point were very amused to see two Vermonters in their midst, and gladly welcomed us into what was left of their homes.  This trip helped me see the world outside of Vermont.  It made me thankful that my family and community have not suffered a natural disaster as severe as Super storm Sandy.  Many of the people who lost their homes were retired and it will be very difficult for them to get enough insurance money to rebuild.  I am glad we took the time to help with this relief effort, and I hope the situation in areas affected by Sandy Continues to improve.  This was a valuable experience, and I hope that our cadets will continue to take on community service projects.  

            The entire climate of the dining-in ceremony depends on who is elected as “Mr. Vice” the right-hand-man of the President of the Mess.  Mr. Vice has a very important job; to make sure that no parties break the rules of the mess. If they do, it is also Mr. Vice’s responsibility to punish their mishaps with a drink from the notorious grog. This year, sophomore cadet Derek Lowe ruled the mess with an iron fist, focusing mainly on insulting the freshmen, but evening the scores a bit if a cadet from another class were to slip up. A few ways to be forced to succumb to the depths of the grog bowl would be clapping rather than banging your spoon against the table, leaving the mess without permission from the President, or wearing your uniform incorrectly. Everyone was on his or her best behavior under Cadet Lowe’s watchful eye.

            Another time held tradition of the mess is the infamous grog bowl; a putrid mixture of many different liquids that shall not be spoken of, including but not limited to water from Lake Champlain. For those of us above the age of twenty-one, a special alcoholic grog is made to indulge in, which always makes the mess a bit more entertaining. This year, Cadet Justin Adams became the most familiar with the bowl of grog, and everybody else could tell.

            With every passing year comes a new guest speaker. This year’s speaker was former Marine officer, Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, the Director of UVM’s Spatial Analysis Laboratory.  Although he was a Marine, we welcomed him with open arms, and even let him lead our PT session the morning of the ceremony. Mr. O’Neil-Dunne gave a wonderful speech sharing his first experiences as a platoon leader, offering advice on gaining respect as a newly commissioned officer, and encouraging cadets to always lead with confidence. To show our support for our new Marine friend, Cadet Cynthia Edgerton even convinced her volleyball coach to bring his bulldog Earl to the ceremony, the bulldog being the mascot of the Marine Corps.

            After weeks of speaking solely behind closed doors and in dark alleyways, the hard work of the class skits are finally projected onto the big screen for everybody to see. Each class is responsible for making some sort of skit to show the rest of the battalion. These usually end up with classes poking good clean fun at one another, although our MS1’s took a much different route and instead made a music video to Taylor Swift’s song “Trouble”. Per usual, the MS2 class won everybody’s hearts with their parody of well, just about everyone in the battalion, focusing mainly on the faults of the MS3’s.  These skits are everybody’s favorite part of the dining in after many weeks of build up.  This year’s dining-in also held great things for MS1 Cadet Trevor Madsen as he won a scholarship and therefore took his oath with the Army, almost every cadet’s goal for their time spent in ROTC. Congratulations Cadet Madsen!

           This year’s dining in was one for the books and will surely be the highlight of many cadets’ year in ROTC, especially for the MS1’s who have never experienced such a thing. It is a time-honored event that oftentimes strengthens the bond of a battalion by allowing everyone to let go a little bit, celebrate their shared respect for the Army, and have a little fun. One can only hope that next year’s dining in will live up to this past one and that the new Mr. Vice will rule with dignity as well. 

          First year cadets participated in color guard practice weekly, led by CDT Adam Bottini along with other MSII cadets and SFC Casto. During practice, cadets receive training in drill and ceremony as well as military discipline and bearing. Cadets are taught how to properly execute drill and ceremonies, as well as how properly present the national colors in a variety of settings.

          Participation in the Green Mountain Battalion’s color guard is significant in developing cadets by instilling knowledge, professionalism, discipline and teamwork. Through public events such as hockey games, the color guard team displays their professionalism and pride to the public while presenting the nations colors during the national anthem. 

My name is Julian Summa and I am a current student and Cadet at the University of Vermont. I am going into my junior year of studying Community and International Development. I recently returned from taking a semester off to become a Cavalry Scout in the United States Army.  The four months of training was broken down into two main sections, Basic Training and Advance Individual Training. The Basic Training portion consisted of soldierization, basic army tactics, marksmanship, emergency medical training, and land navigation. These were all crucial fundamentals that would be later extrapolated into more complex training exercises. During the AIT portion we were trained on the job of a Cavalry Scout, ranging from foot patrolling to driving the M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Transitioning straight from college where most learning is done through books and discussion, it was refreshing to be able to learn by doing. The skills and people I met at training will have a lasting impact on how I conduct myself at school or in the professional world for the rest of my life. 

Now that I am back at school, I am a fulltime student, ROTC cadet, and a member of a Vermont National Guard unit. I chose to do the SMP option because of the experience I will gain through both ROTC and my National Guard Unit. ROTC gives me the knowledge and confidence to become a leader but in combination with witnessing officers in the field allows me to get the full experience. For example on my most recent drill weekend we focused on winter survival and warfare in the mountains of Vermont. It was a great opportunity to witness the job an officer has in the field. Our officers were constantly checking in on everyone of their soldiers while continuing to plan and execute the mission. Over the next two years I will continuously learn from my officers and fellow soldiers at my unit. 

The reason I joined the Army and ROTC was mainly due to what I have learned at the time I have been at the University of Vermont. While studying community and international development, it became clear to me that physical security for communities is the primary start to the rebuilding process. There have been too many projects that have failed due to violent acts directed towards the organization trying to help. Combining the skill set I will learn in the Army with my education will set me on the right path to a career in providing security for development organizations and humanitarian efforts across the globe. 

            We were heading for a holding barracks at the Yongsan Army Garrison for the night, before each of the CTLT cadets would be distributed to their respective branch assignments. I was heading to Osan Air Force Base to work with the Delta Battery of the 6-52 Air Defense Artillery Battalion. As I would soon find out, Delta Battery, equivalent to a company in any other army branch, operated on the periphery of a Republic of Korea (ROK) air force base.

            On my second day in Korea, I met my sponsor, 2^nd Lt. Riedel, who served as the officer in command of the maintenance platoon within Delta Battery. I would be his shadow for the next three weeks, often performing his duties under his guidance. Our area of operations was a large motor pool that consisted of many humvees, trailers and 5 ton trucks. Across the road and through a few fences I could see A-10 Warthogs fueling and taxiing on a runway straddled by armored hangars. On our side of the fences sat eight Patriot missile launchers, each within a reinforced concrete alcove.  Each launcher was erect, prepared to fire and pointed northward.

            As we entered the compound, Lt. Riedel gave me brief descriptions of much of the equipment we passed, including each of the five service vehicles required to operate a Patriot missile battery. We then entered his administrative office squashed between two large maintenance bays. Though small, the office's air conditioning made it pleasantly cool compared to the 85 degree, 100% humidity that is the norm during the rainy season in South Korea.

            The first order of business was to “write an award for one of the specialists in the platoon,” said Lt. Riedel as he booted up his computer. Over the next three weeks, my days would consist of writing such awards, performing inventory checks on our equipment, conducting PT, attending training meetings, and going to training sessions in the van. The van was a compartment on the back of the Command Truck where, in a wartime situation, a platoon leader and a radio operator would monitor the battery's radar for any hostile targets, differentiate said targets from any friendly assets in the area and eventually, if necessary, engage the target with a Patriot Missile.

            “I've never seen a Patriot Missile fired; matter of fact I've heard that you can go your whole career in Air Defense and not see one fired,” said Riedel after I asked the obvious question. It seemed that much of the job of an air defender was to prepare, monitor and run simulation drills. We had such a simulation drill during my third and final week in Korea. Each of the five batteries in 6-52 Battalion were on full alert during the week-long Battalion FTX.  For our maintenance battalion, much of our job stayed the same save for the periodic use of cob-mob equipment. This equipment, which basically consisted of a suit and gas mask used to protect against chemical and biological threats was cumbersome and made the making of training-meeting slides for the next week a rather difficult task.

            Overall, my time in South Korea was well spent. I learned much about performing the necessary tasks required to maintain a platoon. I learned about how much soldiers rely upon their platoon leader in administrative business as well as guidance with their daily lives. My time in Korea taught me the importance of quickly establishing a strong and communicative relationship with my platoon sergeant as well as my soldiers when I become a 2^nd Lt. The CTLT program taught me much about the everyday life of an active duty 2^nd Lt. in a more intimate way than I ever experienced during my time in ROTC. I would highly recommend the program to any cadet for its first-hand experience and intimate perspective. I would also recommend traveling to South Korea for its natural beauty, rich culture and kind people.

                Our mission in Guatemala was to provide Spanish medical translation for the Continuing Promise mission that was supported by the US Navy.  Continuing Promise is a five month mission that travels from port to port, with the U.S. Navy Ship USNS Comfort, to different South American countries, providing health service support and promoting clinical information to patients in need.   Within their mission in Guatemala, Continuing Promise triaged over 8,000 patients.  Five stations were provided for the patients ranging from pediatrics, family medicine, dermatology, optomology, and dentistry.   Patients that required more medical attention were triaged to see the general surgeons to determine if they needed to be sent onto the USNS Comfort for surgery.

                In addition to providing translation support for the doctors, I was also able to work hands-on with the patients, taking blood pressure and so forth.  And, in doing so, I was able to connect with these patients.  Although Guatemala City is one of the most dangerous cities in the world right now, because of their issues with drug and organ trafficking, people forget that criminals aren’t the only ones that live in this magnificent country.  The most warm and kind-hearted people you will ever meet live there as well.

The days were long and hot, with sometimes little to no breaks and even sometimes little water.  But I quickly reminded myself what the patients went through to see us.  Many traveled over 8 hours to seek medical help, hoping for a cure to their pain.  Every morning we saw families that slept overnight in these lines (lines that people wait in to see a Justin Beiber concert!); but they were only waiting to see a doctor.  When they were finally able to enter the medical site, they had to continue to wait up to an additional eight hours with little food and water.  Many of us would be bitter and angry that we had to wait so long just to see a doctor.  Yet, these same patients at the end of the day gave us a hug and said “Dios lo bendiga” (God bless you) for all the help that we gave them.  Many didn’t realize at the time but we made a big impact by giving these families aid for their health issues.

Being there as an ROTC cadet was a once in a lifetime experience.  It helped me remember why I am an ROTC cadet and why I want to be a doctor, to help and serve our soldiers.  Not only that, but to provide aid to foreign countries as well.  No cadet should think that they have to know Spanish or a foreign language to do this program.  Other deployments are available, ranging from Africa to the Philippines, teaching English at local schools to helping build houses for families.  All that is required is for one to be open-minded about another society’s way of life, and with that you will gain the experience of a life-time!     

                CDT Rachel Querido

            When I say, ‘throws you into the strict standards of the military,’ I mean that when you arrive at Fort Knox from the Louisville airport, drill sergeants rush your bus yelling at you every step of the way. For the first week or so, everything you do is wrong. You and everyone around you are being ‘smoked’ for every and any little thing, and you do more pushups than you knew you were capable of. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were told to line up, stand at ease and not make eye contact. Well, you learned about eye contact the first time you looked at one of the drill sergeants! These were the main source of smoke sessions for the first few days. Cadets would make eye contact with a drill sergeant and everyone would suffer because you work as a team and take the fall as a team. It’s all a mental test; they break you down to build you up. You learn quickly that resiliency is something of high importance in becoming an officer in the U.S. Army.

            I was assigned to Bravo Company, 4^th Platoon, 2^nd Squad. We, as a platoon, were known as the “Wolfpack.” The first couple days consisted of being yelled at, doing in-processing work, getting equipment issued, and doing drill and ceremony. You pick up proper drill and ceremony real quick when you’re ‘dropped’ (made to do push-ups) as a platoon for every wrong move! After the in-processing was finished, we took the initial Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). We got through the push-ups and sit-ups and lined up for the final run when it started raining. Not long after that, it began to thunder and we were all rushed under a covered shelter; this is when we learned that a cadet last year had been killed by a lightning strike, so they were on high alert for storms, and at times were almost a little too careful, in my opinion. Kentucky has some crazy weather, and this became an almost everyday occurrence during the first week or so.

            The APFT was rescheduled for the very next day and because of this, I was expecting my score to drop dramatically, but it hardly went down. After this, the real training began. After the first five days or so, cadets started to hold leadership positions and the drill sergeants began to take a step back. There was slightly less yelling and they were more willing to tell you what was right rather than only what was wrong and leaving you to figure out what correct was. The month seemed pretty long and we ran on barely any sleep the entire time so I can’t recount the events in order; days sort of blended together after a while. We did a day on a high-ropes course and climbing wall; we learned to paddle, capsize, and right a zodiac boat; we practiced day and night land navigation both in buddy-teams and alone; and we ran through a military obstacle course, which was one of my favorite training days. I ran through for my squad twice being our fastest female and came out 2 seconds behind the girl with the quickest time! As you always hear about Basic Training, we learned to take apart an M16, put it together, take it apart, put it together, take it apart, etc.  We learned to clean it and finally we learned to shoot it. We were all required to “zero” with the M16 and then we practiced on the qualifying course, though we never got the results of this event. We took the Combat Water Survival Test (CWST, yet another acronym!), and learned to cross a stream using a rope and a Swiss seat.  We rappelled off a 50-foot tower and were taught how to waterproof our rucksacks (“rucks”) and swim with them, but this event did not go as smoothly, and we all had soaking wet equipment for the next few days! We led our squad through a Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC) lanes, and spent many days around the barracks doing classroom training and drill. We had a day of Individual Movement Techniques, where we learned the low-crawl, high-crawl, bounding in buddy teams and then we put it all to use. There were artillery simulators going off and smoke everywhere and it really did get your heart rate up, though fortunately, no one was shooting at you. We took the final PT test around day 20 where I scored the second highest for females in my company, a few points behind the same girl who had beaten me at the obstacle course.

            We finished out the training with three days of STX lanes. STX, or Situation Training Exercise, was the first experience we had at leading our squad through a simulated mission. It was basically a culmination of everything we had learned over the course on the month. By this point, our squad was pretty unified seeing that we were with each other all the time, and the lanes went relatively smoothly, and it felt great to put our training to use. It proved to us the extent of what we had learned over the last 20 or so days and how much it would help us in our future years of ROTC. The last day of training started with the abrupt 0130 wake up by Drill Sergeants. We were bussed with our rucks to somewhere almost off base and had to ruck-march back to our barracks. It was about 6.5 miles total, but there were some killer hills in there. Surprisingly, we had lost quite a few cadets along the way for some reason or other, not only during the ruck-march, but over the course of LTC as a whole. Crossing a finish line has never felt so good. There was a short informal ceremony where they played that extremely motivating song from the recruiting commercials on TV.  Then we got a salute from our Drill Sergeants who had been with us screaming from the start, and a certificate from our Lieutenants stating we had graduated from LTC. This was it - we had done it!

            The last 5 days were all out-processing with some physical training and rucking mixed in.  The day before graduation was Family Day where my parents flew down from New Jersey to spend the day with me and watch my company graduate the following day. At first formation on the morning of graduation, cadets were recognized for their outstanding achievements over the course of LTC. Cadets were called up by the Commanding Officer and presented awards in the form of a coin. Out of the 60 or so females in my company, I got awarded top female of Bravo Company, which caught me completely off guard but is probably one of my biggest accomplishments. We were then shipped to the graduation field. To me, the graduation ceremony was not as exciting an the small informal ceremony we had had after the 6.5 mile ruck-march, but it felt good to walk with all these cadets who had gone through so much with each other.

            LTC was a great way to find out that I am fully committed to the Army and that this is what I want to do with my life after college. It’s a full submersion into the ways of the army and it gives a taste of what your future soldiers went through during their own initial Basic Training (although nowhere near as long). I have a lot of respect for NCOs and the Army as a whole coming out of LTC. I know the Soldier’s Creed like the back of my hand, and have internalized the Army Values. I know my way around an M16, and am a lot more comfortable being in a leadership role. I literally am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, and trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I am on my way to becoming an American Soldier.

CDT Andrea Swett

This summer, as just a freshman, I was lucky enough to attend the Sabalouski Air Assault School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. I was very nervous going into this whole experience because I did not know what to expect. After making my way to Kentucky, waiting in the airport for four hours, checking in with the officer in command, my journey finally began.

Negative Day 2 and 1 – Myself and two other cadets that I befriended banded together right away and really stayed by each other sides during these few days. One of the two friends that I befriended had been told by one of the cadre that he and I were the only two freshmen attending the school; we knew that the pressure was on. For those few days there was not much to do, a whole lot of hurry up and wait and because of this the anxiety among the class of 701-11 really began to elevate. On negative day 1 we then traveled to the site of the Obstacle Course (O-Course) and did a dry run through the O-Course to familiarize ourselves with all the obstacles. Later that afternoon, my buddies and I were sitting eating chow and talking about how we were going to “destroy” the O-Course and how we all thought that the cadre were “pretty nice guys”. We were so wrong.

Zero Day - Wake up was at 2am, but first formation was at 3am. That’s when we learned that those “pretty nice guys” were not actually our cadre. Our actual cadre, the Air Assault Sergeants, was waiting for us down in the staging ground. They were not, so called, “nice guys”. The first order of business was stripping us of our names, and gave us our new names that ended up being numbers. I was number 223.  After a one hour smoke session in the staging grounds they ran us to the O-Course. There they decided to smoke us for another two hours before allowing us to begin the O-Course. The once easy looking O-Course was looking like a pretty daunting task now. I passed the Obstacle Course, and so did my 2 friends. Roughly 20 people failed the O-Course. Shockingly, a large number of the failures, were the NCOs in the course (there was only about 150 cadets, 20 NCO’s and 4 Officers to begin with). We then ran and passed our 2-mile run directly after the O-Course. One cadet didn’t make the time standard on the run. Since there were so many failures, they smoked us for another 3 hours after the run. During the never-ending smoke session, people would literally stand up, sound off with “I am done Air Assault Sergeant” and would fall out of the formation, eliminating themselves from Air Assault School. After we finished the smoke session we ran back to the barracks and almost everyone had to throw away that pair of ACU’s because they were so destroyed. Once everyone was cleaned off, we went to bed. Air Assault School started the next morning.

Phase 1 is only three days long, but it is a mental marathon. They smoked us for no reason; their intent was just to make us miserable, which they did. During this phase we learned all about helicopters (how fast they can fly, how much they can carry, what types of helicopters are there, etc) and were required to memorize the first 100 pages of the Air Assault Handbook. Following that, we learn certain Pathfinder ops and the Hand and Arm Signals to guide in a helicopter on a LZ. We were constantly hot and miserable; almost every day we were there it is over a hundred degrees. On the morning of the second day, we conducted a 6-mile road march to familiarize our self with the course. It was very hot; I finish 20 minutes before time, which is at 1 hour 30 minutes. At the end of Phase 1, we were then given a written test about everything we learned, as well as a practical exam on the Hand and Arm signals. Everyone at the school passes those tests.

 Phase 2 was the boring phase, yet was also probably the hardest of the three. The Air Assault Sergeants had almost completely stopped the PT, now they would only smoke us if we really screwed up.  Helicopters can carry equipment, called "Sling Loads" and each sling load needs to be hooked up to a certain helicopter a certain way. Air Assault graduates are qualified sling load inspectors. We spend the majority of Phase 2 going over each Sling Load over and over so we can memorize what right looks like, so when were tested on a load that was configured incorrectly we would be able to recognize the problems and call the deficiency out. After our written test on the book knowledge, we have a “hands on” test. We each had 2 minutes to find 3 out of 4 deficiencies on 4 different Sling Loads. I max all the sling loads, except for the A-22 Cargo Bag (or as the Air Assault Sergeants call it, the highest casualty producing weapon at the school) which I fail miserably. The way you are suppose to inspect this rig is by standing on the top of it. I did that. However,  the way I was standing on the rig I was also standing on the deficiencies. Every test in the Army has a retest. Everyone who failed rig is dropped off at the bleachers about 200 yards away and we are given roughly 6 hours to study. When retest time came the A-22 Cargo Bag failures were the last to go, and I was last in line. As I ran to the rig, knowing I was the last to go, I was quite literally shaking in my boots. One Air Assault Sergeant was waiting for me at the rig, while the other Air Assault Sergeants were about 20 meters away watching me. As I ran towards the rig one of the Sergeants yelled to me; “223 you are the last to go. Don’t screw up.” At this point I hit a new high of anxiety. I ended up maxing the test and passed. When I got into the van to take get a ride back to the barracks it was a very eye opening experience. Half of the cadets in the van had passed, half had failed. Three of the cadets were in the back row crying because they were going home. The class is almost cut in half because of this phase. Some of the people we lost were the “leaders” that the cadets looked up to during the school, including three of the four Officers, two Master Sergeants, and the First Sergeant that had taken everyone under his wing. My friends and I made it passed the dreaded phase 2.

Phase 3, which is known as the fun phase, is also three days long. It’s the rappelling phase and by this point there are no more smoke sessions and you are basically friends with the Air Assault Sergeants. In this phase there are no written tests, but instead hands on tests, such as tying a Swiss rappel seat in 90 seconds, hooking up to a rappel tower in 15 seconds, and completing three graded (Hollywood, Hollywood Lock-In and Full Combat Equipment) rappels off the open side of the 75 foot tower. We practiced the Hollywood rappel, which is rappelling without any equipment, the Lock-In, rappelling with no equipment, but you switch your brake hands mid-way, the Full Combat which is the normal rappel with LBV, full Rucksack, and Rifle. After the day of practice, we tested the next day. I passed all my tests and my rappels without a hitch. Then they taught us how to Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES), which is essentially going down a fireman’s pole, but instead of a pole it’s a thick nylon rope. Everyone loved doing the FRIES rappel, as it was a breath of fresh air. Everyone in the remaining class passed phase three.

Graduation Day - Graduation began with a 3:30 am wake up. We then had the final test to graduate, the 12-mile ruck march. It was an absolute monsoon and lightening storm, the Air Assault Sergeants were thinking of canceling the 12-mile ruck because 2 cadets had been killed in the month prior under the same weather circumstances when they were struck by lighting. The loop we were on was 6 miles and we were given 3 hours to complete. My buddy, they only other freshman, and I ran it together, even though it was under the worst weather circumstances, we were absolutely ecstatic, the Air Assault Sergeants called it a very “hooah” situation. We came across the finish line at a time of 2 hours and 20 minutes. Two cadets didn’t make it, one just couldn’t make the time, and the other got caught with an integrity violation. Just six hours after we crossed the finish line of the ruck, we were in the graduation field. There were probably only twenty people in the crowd to watch us graduate, but no one cared because we were just happy to be getting our wings. After we were pinned on during the ceremony, which was one of the most spectacular feelings, we were given the opportunity to get our blood wings from the Air Assault Sergeants. I got my blood wings shortly after graduation, while my two friends that started it all with me held me steady for it. Almost immediately after graduation we were shipped back to the airport where everyone tipped their hats to each other and we all went our separate ways back to our homes.

CDT Erickson Krogh

Class 701-11

Peace Parks are trans-boundary protected areas that are formally dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and of natural and associated cultural resources, and to the promotion of peace and cooperation. The goal of International Peace Parks Expeditions is to utilize these areas as a source of long term sustainment and to promote collaboration over boundaries.

International Peace Parks Expeditions also leads programs called Experiential Peacebuilding, most recently in Iraq. Mr. Walters brought Iraqis aged 17-24 from all different backgrounds, ethnicities and providences for a one week long experiential learning camp on what it means to be a citizen in a new democracy.

International Peace Parks Expeditions created new “provinces” when the young adults arrived at the camp. These future leaders were mixed in with Iraqis of all different backgrounds and became united under a flag of their own design. Over the next week the Iraqis worked together with each other in many different activities set up by Mr. Walters, and the team of Iraqi Facilitators. The Iraqis took part in collaborative problem solving, competitive events, outdoor experiential peace-building, campaigning and coalition building, and the week culminated in a democratic election. The Iraqis left the camp with their prior stereotypes broken and new bonds formed.

Cadets from the Green Mountain Battalion often hear about the Contemporary Operating Environment (COE) in their studies. Non-Governmental Organizations are a big part of the peace-making process in today’s COE, and this event was a great opportunity for the Cadets to interact with the leader of one of these organizations. After the presentation, Mr. Walters held a 45-minute Q&A session in which the Cadets got to ask about what the contemporary operating environment is like for someone who isn’t military personnel and what his interactions with the United States Army were like in Iraq.

The Cadets all left the presentation with a better understanding of the role that Non-Governmental Organizations like International Peace Parks Expeditions play on today’s asymmetrical battlefield. We would like to thank Todd Walters for dedicating his time to come talk with us, and if you are interested in joining a program with International Peace Parks Expeditions, you can visit the website at www.peaceparksexpeditions.org. 

      Last year, for the first time ever, the University of Vermont’s Green Mountain Battalion sent a team to compete in the 2010 Levy Challenge. The team was made up of Cadets Brian Hamel, Ryan Finnerty, Christian Ruf, and was led by Cadet Bradley Patnaude. After months of preparation and rigorous physical training, which included thousands of pull-ups, dozens of miles carrying a ruck sack, and countless hours in the pool, the Green Mountain Battalion’s first foray into the Levy Challenge was an overwhelming success. The four UVM Cadets took the competition by storm, finishing with a time of 4 hours and 57 minutes and securing second place out of 44 teams.

      In the wake of last year’s success, the number of Green Mountain Battalion Cadets preparing for the 2011 Levy Challenge has increased dramatically. Thanks to generous support from the Green Mountain Battalion’s Alumni Association, there will now be 3 teams from UVM competing in the Levy Challenge as well as one team from the Battalion’s largest satellite, State University of New York-Plattsburgh. Especially noteworthy is that one of the teams is made up entirely of first year female cadets from the Green Mountain Battalion. Cadets Kayla Hensel, Lindsey Moore, and Leigh McNeil, all of UVM, and Cadet Cynthia Edgerton of St. Michael’s College have taken up the challenge of representing not just the Green Mountain Battalion, but female cadets everywhere, with enthusiasm and dedication. In total, 20 Cadets have been hard at work for several months already, under the leadership of returning competitors, Cadets Bradley Patnaude and Ryan Finnerty. Those training for the Levy Challenge regularly conduct physical training 5-6 days per week, in addition to the their normal ROTC obligations and university coursework. Cadets from the Green Mountain Battalion training for the Levy Challenge come from every class, both male and female. They include: Cadets John Hart, Ryan O’Leary, Leigh McNeil, Lindsey Moore, Kayla Hensel, Cynthia Edgerton, Mauricio Diaz, Erickson Krogh, Justin Adams, Robert Matzelle, Tyler Parker, Justin Strohsnitter, Matthew Demenna, Daniel Nesel, Ryan Finnerty, Warner Clark, and Bradley Patnaude. With such a robust turnout and high level of motivation, the Catamounts of the Green Mountain Battalion are poised for a repeat performance of last year’s success.

The first week in China, CDT Fortin went on a study tour with her classmates, seeing many of China's most significant landmarks including, but not limited to, the Great Wall, the Terra-cotta Warriors, and even the 2010 World Expo.  It wasn't until early June that Fortin and her classmates finally got to the campus where they were going to study for the next several months.  By the time they had arrived, all of the UVM students had tasted, seen, and done so many things that they were all completely exhausted. 

Despite this, classes started three days later -- the bulk of which taught in Chinese -- and would continue until the end of the summer term mid-July.  With two more fall terms underway, Fortin used her three week summer breaks both to relax and stay in shape for her return to UVM in the spring.  At this point she'd completed Tai Ji Boxing, Hard-pen Calligraphy, a Chinese culture class, and the speaking and comprehensive parts to her Chinese courses. 

It was all uphill from there.  In the fall, Fortin undertook Pushing Hands, Brush-pen Calligraphy, Chinese Minorities, Chinese Religion, Sino-American Business Relations, more Chinese language courses, and later still (during the second fall term) took Tai Ji Sword, Chinese Painting, and the Chinese language course equivalent to Chinese 201 back at UVM. 

Although CDT Fortin would later tell her friends back in Vermont that her time in China was the most intense period of study that she'd ever undertaken in her life, she would always start with, "China was awesome!" 

REALLY?!?

Army Pathfinders navigate their way through foreign terrain and establish safe landing zones for Airborne and Air Assault Soldiers or Army aircraft. They can be asked to parachute into remote areas, navigate their way to unobstructed locations, and then relay those coordinates back to a command center.

The mission of the U.S. Army Pathfinder School is to provide a three week course in which the student navigates dismounted, establishes and operates a day/night helicopter landing zone, establishes and operates day/night CARP, GMRS, and Army VIRS parachute Drop Zones, conducts slingload rigging and inspections, aeromedevac operations, provides air traffic control via ground to air communications for Rotary Wing and Fixed Wing airborne operations. The course culminates on a three day FTX as a member of a Pathfinder Team.

To be awarded the Pathfinder Badge, the soldier must complete instruction in advanced scouting, tactical air traffic control in the field, aeromedevac, slingload operations, Helicopter Landing and Pickup Zones and the control of parachute operations to deliver  troops and supplies on numerous types of drop zones; the badge is awarded on completing several examinations under field conditions and a classroom environment.

1LT Chris Waldron, on his recent experience at Pathfinder School…

“Completing the three week course requires studying, at least four to six hours a night for three consecutive weeks.  Future officers wishing to attend the school should go to the school’s page on Fort Benning’s website (https://www.benning.army.mil/wtc/wtc/b/pf/index.htm). The course is conducted at Fort Benning, Fort Campbell, and various MTTs (Mobile Training Teams) around the country.  I highly encourage potential students to study the handouts prior to Day 1 in accordance with the example training schedule on the website.

Study with your Pathfinder buddies. Purchase jumbo index cards and re-write the packets onto the cards. I don’t drink energy drinks regularly but you will need them to stay on point in class and be able to study late.  The course is primarily academic, with very little physical challenges.  Slingload hands-on exercises knocked out 30% of the class in week 1.  The drop zone exam knocked out another 30% of the class in week 3.  If you make it to the field you will pass; just don’t be a blue falcon. You will know your stuff at this point.  They will drop you in a remote location with a map and compass and expect you to get to the drop zone proposed by higher on your own.  You need to find the site and establish it (a lot goes into this).  Other times they will drop you right onto the HLZ/PZ/DZ.

The course is extremely rewarding and very relative to the war we fight today. I will be deploying to Afghanistan in less than 5 months and I have already been told that I will be heavily relied upon to execute Pathfinder skills.  Rigging loads to supply the firing batteries in my Battalion located at COPs away from the main FOB will be my responsibility.  I am counted on to arrive in country with the sling sets, gear, paperwork, and expertise to resupply these guys with fuel and water blivets, food, and general supplies.  As a Pathfinder your skills keep resupply convoys (your soldiers) off the roads.  Fly the goods under a Chinook rather than putting 18+ soldiers in a convoy to the push the goods over IED and hostile infested territory."

Contact me anytime: christopher.waldron2@us.army.mil

The obstacle course was tasked to the MSII class.  We proceeded to conduct a Recon in the field-house at SUNY Plattsburgh, and were forced to design events that would be both challenging and manageable for everyone.  After our recon, we were given the opportunity to brief our plan to both the Cadre and MSIVs.  This was a squad-based event, where squads had to work together to negotiate all of the obstacles as quickly as possible.

I got to see for the first time, first hand, what kind of planning and work goes into this type of event and what it takes to accomplish it.  Aside from refining our briefing skills, the MSII class had a chance to share ideas, think creatively to develop new obstacles, construct a plan for drawing equipment, assess risk, and become exposed to the planning process.  The experience we gained as a result will help us in our MSIII year and beyond.

Please click here for more information about the ROTC program at SUNY Plattsburgh!

Some practice this sport because they enjoy self betterment and have been raised with it. Others saw the transition between the sports they did in high school and decided to try something new with a sport that was sweeping the nation. However a common theme amongst all is there is very close relation between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the Army’s combatives program- a system of self defense designed back in 2006 by ranger Commander Matt Larson. All the Cadets are eager to transfer their knowledge from the BJJ and other fighting styles they have been learning in college into the Army’s combatives systems and even the army wide combatives tournament. Discipline and personal courage are of the utmost importance in this sport and the Cadets who practice it take it very seriously.

Mr. Whitted, who currently serves on the Green Mountain Battalion ROTC Alumni Association Board of Directors, has been instrumental in preserving the legacy of past generations of Catamount leaders. This photo is the second he has donated to the ROTC program in recent years. While serving as a lawyer for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Whitted still takes the time to participate in Cadets' training events. He participated in the Vermont Remembers 10k Run on September 11th of this year and cheered on Cadets during their record APFT in November.

Although he has been spotted at recent training events sporting Yankees apparel, Cadets remain motivated by Mr. Whitted's commitment to the Green Mountain Battalion and truly appreciate all of his support!

2LT Tom Griffin recruited and trained the ROTC power house volleyball team. Nothing but pure athleticism propelled this team to the intramural playoffs.  It is no surprise that teams were unable to stop the unbeatable line-up consisting of elite MS I Cadets:

Mallory Sullivan - Pure talent!

Kayla Hensel - "Are you kidding me? Is SHE allowed to play? Isn't she a pro?!"

Ryan "Ranger" O'Leary - Simply "not fair" for the other team.

John "The Tower" Hart - "Boo Ya!"

Lindsey "Spike This" Moore

Michael "Bear Grylls" Denham

2LT Tom "The Tank" Griffin

Oh, we almost forgot to mention the other team - 2LT Tommy Wong could not produce a winning team; but....they did try really hard! There's always next year...

While eight of the nine members of the panel had prior military service, the forum was not limited to leading soldiers. Several were UVM graduates in fields ranging from mechanical engineering to business administration. One speaker, Adam Carparelli, was a 2009 UVM graduate, serving in a leadership role for Liquid Measurement Systems. The resulting discussion highlighted the similarities between military and civilian leaders. Panel members provided the audience with advice for leading peers, overcoming personality conflicts and caring about subordinates. Passion about one’s job was a theme of the forum, as many agreed that it is the foundation of quality leadership.

Army ROTC trains college students to become successful leaders. ROTC graduates take away confidence, resiliency, and a solid foundation of management as they transition into the labor force. Through practical exercises and classroom education, Cadets develop a sense of camaraderie, while learning the fundamentals of values, ethics, and morals. The Green Mountain Battalion continues to strive for excellence and provide opportunities for leadership education in the community.

Cadet Bradley Patnaude Receives Top Male Physical Fitness Award.

This past weekend, ten Cadets from the University of Vermont's Green Mountain Battalion competed in the annual two day ROTC competition known as the Ranger Challenge. The purpose of the Ranger Challenge Program is to challenge cadets in tough mental and physical competition, enhance leader development, develop team cohesion and develop healthy competition among the nation's ROTC programs. Some of the events include: conducting an army physical fitness test, disassembling and assembling weapons, conducting military operations in an urban terrain, first aid, and building and crossing a rope bridge.

The University of Vermont, Green Mountain Battalion earned first place in their Division and second place overall out of 23 schools. During their successful bid for the top spot, UVM ROTC produced the top male physical fitness score (out of 230 Cadets); Cadet Bradley Patnaude completed 126 push-ups in two minutes, 116 sit-ups in two minutes and ran two miles in 12:30. The team, consisting of 10 cadets, also placed first overall in the rope bridge competition and first place in the most grueling event, the 10 kilometer road march carrying 35 pounds of gear.

The UVM ROTC program, currently with 90 cadets, traces its roots to 1865 as part of the Morrill Land Grant, which created the University of Vermont as we know it today. There are more than 270 ROTC programs across the nation which commission approximately 6,000 officers per year. UVM ROTC is hosted at the University of Vermont and also includes: Champlain College, St Michael's College, Middlebury College, Johnson State College, Castleton State College, and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Upon graduation from ROTC, cadets earn active duty, National Guard, or Army Reserves commissions. UVM currently enrolls 90 cadets, 65 percent of whom receive full scholarships. The program boasts an elite alumni consisting of six general officers, including the commander of the Vermont National Guard, Major General Michael Dubie. In addition, four 2009 graduates are currently serving in the Afghanistan with the Vermont National Guard's 86th Brigade Combat Team (Second Lieutenants Charlie Flood, Sabin Clark, Joseph Phelan, and Will Reina).

The 2010 UVM ROTC Ranger Challenge team consists of: Captains: Bradley Patnaude (Sr), Warner Clark (Sr).  Travis Gerbatsch (Sr), Jill Bardon (Jr), Ryan Finnerty (Jr), Dallas Apotheker (Jr), Brian Hamel (Jr), Patrick Wright (Jr), Brian Hammel (Jr), Matt DeMenna (Fr), Ryan O'Leary (Fr), and alternate Andrew Stillman (So).