The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Ohio University is a rigorous organization composed of typical college students with atypical college life; filled with intense training, extracurriculars, military science and aerospace classes.
Cadets in the ROTC must manage school and physical training while also learning leadership and management skills.
OU offers both Army and Air Force ROTC programs, the latter of which has been recognized as the Best Small Detachment in the Region twice in the past five years.
Students can join the ROTC for various reasons as it offers many different benefits and career paths opportunities.
Brandon Larimore, a sophomore studying biology, is in the Army ROTC and he said, like many others, he joined the ROTC because he had always seen the military as a path, but also wanted to earn a college degree right out of high school.
“I applied for the Army ROTC scholarship in high school,” Larimore said. “Military was always something I saw in my life, but I also wanted to go to college first. That is one benefit of the ROTC. With the ROTC scholarship, I get tuition covered.”
For cadets in ROTC, the day begins before the sun comes up. In the spring semester, the Army ROTC has morning training at 6 a.m. three times a week, and in the fall, five times a week.
Bryce Olive, a sophomore studying business, is in the Army ROTC, and said his Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings start around 5:15 a.m.
“We typically wake up at 5:15 to get there by 6:00 and it goes to 7:00,” Olive said.
The Air Force ROTC, or AFROTC, has physical training twice a week on Mondays and Fridays and includes a combination of high-intensity interval training and running. Occasionally, the AFROTC performs the Air Force Physical Fitness Assessment, which is a 1.5-mile run, one minute of max pushups and one minute of max situps.
In addition to morning physical training, many cadets participate in extracurricular programs that require additional workouts. Olive said on days when he has training for an extracurricular, he’s up even earlier.
“If we are on special teams … we wake up at 4:45, go run and get our PT out of the way and then go to class,” Olive said.
Olive and Larimore are a part of the Army 10 Miler, where cadets train for the 10-mile race that takes place in October in Washington D.C. every year. Larimore is also a part of the Bold Warrior special team.
“We will train in the summer and then when we come back we will start training every day leading up to October,” Olive said. “It’s great for teamwork, we usually run together.”
The Army ROTC has various extracurricular programs including the Bold Warrior special team, Red Leg, Color Guard, German Armed Forces Badge of Proficiency, 3 Gun Shoot and Xavier Best Ranger.
The AFROTC offers extracurricular activities as well, such as survival training, Honor Guard and community service.
After physical training, cadets still have a day of major-specific classes ahead of them. Along with classes for their major, Army ROTC cadets must attend a military science class and AFROTC cadets must attend air and space studies classes once a week. In addition to their course load, cadets also attend a leadership laboratory every Wednesday.
Leadership laboratory topics include U.S. flag protocols, tactical room clearing, small unit field tactics, strategy development, open-water survival skills and group leadership challenges.
Olive and Larimore both agreed the work-life balance is difficult to maintain as an ROTC member.
“The ROTC is a lot more time-consuming than anyone really gives it credit for,” Larimore said. “A lot of people in the program are involved in multiple extracurriculars. If you’re beyond the level of a freshman, then you have a leadership position as long as you have people you are responsible for. You have to make sure they’re set up, they know what to do, they know where to go and they do it well.”
Olive echoed Larimore’s sentiment of ROTC’s busy schedule.
“The work-life balance requires a little more, but it’s still great,” Olive said.
Maggie Guagenti, a freshman biology pre-professional major, said she has observed the dedication ROTC students have.
“I don’t know a ton about the ROTC, but I do have a couple of friends that are a part of it,” Guagenti said. “I can see how much they’re dedicated to it and from what I can tell, they all really enjoy being a part of it.”
According to OU, 60-70% of OU’s Army ROTC go on to become active duty officers when they graduate, which is what Olive plans to do in the 1st Armored Division.
Larimore plans to join the National Guard, allowing him to complete his Ph.D. in biology and fulfill his service obligation.
Joining active duty and the National Guard are just two of many different paths available to postgraduate ROTC cadets. The training and academics of the ROTC aim to equip cadets with unmatched leadership and project management skills to support their future endeavors.
