The winds blew hard on Stimson Field Friday morning as four Blackhawk helicopters landed to pick up about 50 Ohio University Army ROTC cadets for a weekend at Camp Dawson in eastern West Virginia.
The cadets traveled to the camp to work on rifle marksmanship, land navigation, obstacle courses and team strengthening exercises.
Although they usually train in Wayne National Forest, the courses have become second nature and are no longer challenging to the cadets, said Lt. Col. Douglas Orr, ROTC commander and military science professor.
It's field training exercise
but it's mostly for a change of pace he said. The cadets usually have one trip in the fall and one in the spring, but the helicopters add a little bit of excitement.
When traveling, the cadets normally take vans to their destination, but the National Guard provided the UH60s, or Blackhawks, from the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus so their pilots could receive some practice as well.
It gives them the benefit to land here and practice in a little more realistic landing situation than an airfield and also it's also more exciting for the cadets he said.
The weekend at camp served as an introduction to the new cadets, said OU senior Jason Hadley, cadet battalion commander. Because it is early in the year, it was the first time many of the cadets flew, shot or navigated.
Many of the tasks performed at camp were made to test leadership and teamwork among the men and women in ROTC who don't know each other well yet, OU senior and cadet captain Eric Elliot said.
We (worked) on obstacle courses and field leadership courses that force people to take a leadership role
Hadley said. I hope that everyone has a more vested interest in the big picture.
In addition to team building, the cadets were preparing for the Ranger Challenge, a one-day competition at the end of the month in Fort Knox, Kentucky. The events include weapon assembly, physical therapy and basic rifle marksmanship.
The rifle marksmanship at Camp Dawson was a wonderful practice before the competition.
We fire about three times a year. It's not a lot
but it's enough that all of our scores at camps have passed
Hadley said.
While the cadets were thrilled to ride in the Blackhawks for the hour journey to Camp Dawson, they are quick to remember that ROTC is not just military science classes or fun perks like Blackhawks.
Lots of people think it's a free ticket to school
but we really are training to command troops someday. This is real
Hadley said. _
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