They are classmates, maybe even friends, and, perhaps one day, heroes.
The hundreds of men and women dressed head-to-toe in camouflage during Saturday’s Ohio University football game are more than soldiers. They are classmates, maybe even friends, and, perhaps one day, heroes.
Before Ohio’s football game against Eastern Illinois, members of OU’s Army ROTC program hosted a tailgate — called “Hero’s Day” — to introduce students and visitors to their program in front of Walter Hall. Cadets pitched tents, set up tables and barbecued hundreds of hot dogs and hamburgers.
Students mingled with their ROTC peers, illustrating the purpose of the event, Hansen said.
“Not many people know about (ROTC), so we use this as a way to show the program to these students,” said John Hansen, ROTC’s director.
ROTC is a program that trains college students to become officers in the U.S. armed forces. Students who enroll at OU and join the program can have their college paid for after committing to serve in the armed forces for a certain period of time after graduation.
The annual event this weekend highlighted the cadets and showcased what they do for other students. Entertainment included several inflatables, including a basketball court, and cornhole.
The same day, cadets on campus and recent enlistees from around Southeastern Ohio received their Oath of Enlistment in front of the home crowd at halftime on the Peden Stadium turf.
Director of Personnel for the Ohio National Guard, Colonel Randal Shears, read the oath to roughly 30 men and women on the field during halftime at the game. Shears graduated from OU in 1987.
“I didn’t want to drive. I didn’t want to be a mechanic. I’ve always wanted to be a soldier,” said Troy Rivera, a recent Army enlistee from Jackson, Ohio. Rivera took the oath on Saturday; he is not a member of OU’s ROTC program.
As part of the Hero’s Day event, five high school seniors spent the night with an ROTC member on Friday, Sept. 26, the day before the game. They participated in a cadet’s daily activities as part of their time on campus.
Zach Galecki, a high school senior from Sylvania, Ohio, was one of the high schoolers who spent Friday with the ROTC cadets. He said he appreciated how tight knit and accepting OU’s ROTC community was.
Staying with the cadets made his night, he said.
“Ohio University is the best ROTC program around, and I can’t wait to attend school here and be a part of this family,” Galecki said.
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