Ohio University's Army Reserve Officer Training Corps traveled to Fort Knox, Ky., for a weekend field-training exercise Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. Senior ROTC cadets, with advice and suggestions from their commanders, ran the exercise.
The seniors learned how officers work in the field by creating daily schedules, planning transportation, assessing the work of junior cadets and teaching underclassmen how to complete tasks
Underclassmen act as non-commissioned officers. In order to prepare for the Leadership Development Assessment Course, a five-week course that evaluates and trains cadets from throughout the country, junior cadets took turns rotating as squad leaders during the exercise.
The current senior class has three women who will become commissioned officers after graduation: Katie Banks, Sarah Baugus and Ashley Larsen. Larsen and Banks joined ROTC freshman year, while Baugus joined her junior year after attending a Leadership Training Course, an intense four-week summer program at Fort Knox.
The number of women enrolled in ROTC increases each year. The Army ROTC really is a man's world
Larsen said. Women might feel as if they are inferior and need to prove themselves, but their confidence increases each year, Larsen said. 1
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Elizabeth Dickson
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MS IV Ashley Larsen teaches MS II Daniel Cooper how to fire an M16A2 weapon Saturday. Cadets are taught the four fundamentals of marksmanship: steady position, a correct sight picture, breathing and trigger squeeze.
