Eastern Washington University – Page 9

Fighting Eagles Battalion Holds Contracting Ceremony for Army ROTC Nursing Scholarship Winner

02/29/2020 by jstafford3

This week the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army ROTC battalion conducted a contracting ceremony for Cadet (CDT) Olivia Roble. CDT Roble is a second year Cadet at EWU who is originally from Auburn, Washington. In high school CDT Roble applied for an Army ROTC National Scholarship to help her achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. CDT Roble was selected for a National Scholarship that will pay for four of the five years required for a nursing degree. After finishing her first year at EWU, she became eligible this year to contract into the U.S. Army and activate her scholarship benefits.

During the ceremony Cadet Roble was given the Oath of Enlistment by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Stafford, the Professor of Military Science for the EWU Army ROTC program.

The contracting ceremony was a special moment for CDT Roble since her dad, a retired Coast Guard veteran was on hand for the event. After taking the Oath of Enlistment, her father placed the EWU patch on her right shoulder sleeve signifying her as being a contracted Cadet.

contracting ceremony hug — EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Olivia Roble receives a hug from her father after contracting into the U.S. Army to become a nurse.

Contracting into Army ROTC activated CDT Roble’s scholarship benefits which include:

Full tuition and mandatory fees (or $10,000 annually for room & board)
$1,200 annually for books and supplies
A monthly stipend of $420
Ability to apply for Army sponsored internships
Opportunity to attend advanced military training

congratulations — EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Oliva Roble (center) is contracted for contracting into the Army by fellow Cadets, Cierra Neumann (left) and Isabell Pannell (right).

Cadet Roble is part of the largest Army ROTC nursing program in Washington State and the Inland Northwest. If you want to become a future Army nurse like Cadet Roble, EWU ROTC can help get you there. We have scholarships available to qualified applicants. You can read more about how to become an Army nurse by clicking the below tab or contacting the Army ROTC office at rotc@ewu.edu .

Go Army Nursing! Go Fighting Eags!

Leadership Lab Trains Fighting Eagles Cadets on Ambush, Recon & Break Contact Drills

02/23/2020 by jstafford3

By: Cadet Marcos Sanchez

On the 21st of February 2020, Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) Cadets traveled to training site “Waterworks” to conduct the seventh lab of the Winter quarter. The purpose of this lab was to have the Cadets demonstrate their ability to execute Ambush, Recon and Break Contact to standard in order to prepare them for the upcoming winter Field Training Exercise (FTX).

EWU Army ROTC Cadets patrol through the wooded terrain of the Waterworks property adjacent to the city of Cheney.

Cadet Chad Triplett was the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the lab and he went about executing this by splitting the two platoons into two separate Area of Operations (AO), which had four objectives in each. At each objective there was a different task that needed to be complete; the Ambush, Recon, Break Contact and Setting up an Objective Rally Point or ORP. The MSIII Cadets were then graded on their ability to do these to standard based on the Ranger Handbook.

EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Thomas Luce participates in Leadership Lab training.

The MSIII Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, will be attending the Cadet Summer Training (CST) within the next 6-7 months so it is crucial that they get the most realistic training as possible. In order to accomplish this, OIC Triplett had them perform land navigation from one objective point to the next. This is something that will be done at CST so building confidence now helps them tremendously. Another, method which was used was to have the Cadets set up a proper ORP and conduct a leader’s recon. Two things that will be tested repeatedly at Advanced Camp during CST.

MS-III Cadet, Emma LaTour prepares a brief for her squad during Leadership Lab training.

This lab was also conducted at the Waterworks which is where the Winter FTX will take place. As the MSII’s and MSIII’s have been in this area in years pasts, this helps the MSI class become more familiar with the area because they have only seen this AO a handful of times. Cadets will continue to work in this AO for the remainder of the quarter in order to get used to wooded terrain similar to what they will experience during CST at Ft. Knox, Kentucky this summer.

Note: You can see more pictures from the training below and at this link.

Eagle Strong! Go Fighting Eags!

Throwback Thursday: Swoop in the 1997 Lilac Parade

02/20/2020 by jstafford3

From our our Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army ROTC photo archives comes this picture of our beloved EWU mascot, Swoop riding in the back of our ROTC Jeep during the 1997 Lilac Parade in Spokane.

Leadership Lab Trains Cadets on Squad Operations

02/15/2020 by jstafford3

By: Cadet Marcos Sanchez

On February 13^th 2020, Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) traveled out to Montague’s Farm, adjacent to the Cheney Campus, in order to refresh Cadets on basic squad operations. The squad operations training consisted of Attack, Movement to Contact (MTC) and Reacting to Indirect Fire (IDF). Cadet Cesar Guzman, the officer in charge (OIC) of planning the lab, did this by splitting up the lab into three iterations.

EWU Army ROTC Cadets train in the fields of the Montague’s Farm property adjacent to the EWU campus.

The first iteration was actions on contact leading into reacting to IDF. During the lane when the Cadets took contact from an enemy they were also hit with indirect fire which allows them to exercise their mental agility and maneuver the element to safety. The second iteration was an MTC exercise which is a search and destroy tactic. The purpose of an MTC is to move into an area where the enemy is known, take contact and then destroy the enemy using various tactics such as flanking. The third iteration was a squad attack which is similar to the MTC but in this case the exact enemy location is known so the Cadets squad is the one who initiates the contact.

Cadet Isabelle Erickson directs her personnel to maintain security.

One of the Cadets conducting these lanes was Cadet Valentino Olmstead. The way he went about excelling at these tasks was by maintaining good communication with his team leaders. To Cadet Olmstead “communication is one of if not the most important part of controlling an element because without it, your subordinates don’t know what to do”. Another key process he used was After Action Reviews of AARs which allowed him to talk with his squad and figure out what went well and what could have been improved on.

Cadet Cesar Guzman directs personnel during the Leadership Lab.

This week’s lab was the last of the crawl phase when it comes to squad tactics during the Winter Quarter. What this means is that future labs will be held in the forested terrain of the Cheney Waterworks property. The densely forested terrain will make commutation and line of sight more difficult compared to the Montague’s Farm property. Overall the progressive training events will prepare the Cadets for the upcoming Winter Field Training Exercise (FTX). The FTX will test the Cadets over 24 straight hours on all the skills they have learned this quarter during leadership labs. It will be a challenging training event that our Fighting Eagles Cadets will undoubtedly excel at.

Eagle Strong! Go Fighting Eags!

Note: More pictures from the lab can be seen below and a complete album of pictures can be seen at this link.

Snowy Weather Doesn’t Stop Fighting Eagles Cadets from Conducting Squad Movement Training

02/08/2020 by jstafford3

On the 6th of February 2020, the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Fighting Eagles Battalion conducted squad movement techniques as well as Linear Danger Area (LDA) crossings at the Montagues Farm property adjacent to the EWU campus. Recent snow made the hilly wheat fields slick and muddy, but the Cadets still showed great motivation throughout the lab despite the conditions.

Cadets listen to training brief prior to the start of the lab.

Cadet Kuhnel pulls security during leadership lab training.

Cadets who had met previously with their assigned squad leaders, were able to apply what they’ve been learning in the classroom in a real-world environment. The movement formations being used were the squad file, squad line and squad column fire team wedge. The movement techniques, which are the method in which the formations are used, were traveling, traveling overwatch and bounding overwatch. These will be utilized in different situations depending on time restrictions, maneuverability, and if enemy contact is likely or not. It is ultimately up to the squad leader to determine which is used.

Cadet Roberts pauses during leadership lab training.

LDA’s come up when doing large movements. A few examples of these are power line areas, or even large grassy fields where cover and concealment is limited. As leaders in the army, Cadets are required to know how to manage these areas without putting soldiers’ lives in harms way. These skills are also important for our Cadets to master to prepare them to excel at ROTC Advanced Camp held each summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

Cadet Camacho takes the Oath of Enlistment to contract into ROTC.

Following the conclusion of the squad training the Fighting Eagles concluded the lab by conducting a contracting ceremony for Cadet Gervacio Camacho. It was special moment for him to take the Oath of Enlistment with his mother on hand to place his EWU patch on his right shoulder sleeve signifying him as a contracted Cadet. More pictures from the lab can be viewed at this link.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!

EWU Army ROTC Graduate and I Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Gary Volesky Retires After 36 Years of Military Service

02/06/2020 by jstafford3

The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) extends its congratulations to the former I Corps Commanding General, Lieutenant General (LTG) Gary Volesky for his retirement from the U.S. Army after over 36 years of military service.

The I Corps Headquarters at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

I Corps headquarters sign from when LTG Volesky was in command.

LTG Volesky is a 1983 Distinguished Military Graduate from EWU and the highest ranking member of the university’s Military Science Hall of Fame.

Volesky plaque — LTG Volesky’s plaque in the Military Science Hall of Fame

LTG Volesky’s Change of Command with incoming I Corps Commander, LTG Randy A. George was held at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) on February 4, 2020. The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander, General Robert Abrams and the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) Commander, General Paul LaCamera both spoke during the ceremony. General LaCamera additionally oversaw the symbolic passing of the guide on from LTG Volesky to LTG George.

LTG Volesky (left) marches into the Change of Command Ceremony with General LaCamera (center) and LTG George (right). (Picture courtesy of Al Watson)

I Corps soldiers salute during the change of command ceremony. (Picture courtesy of Al Watson)

General LaCamera oversees the symbolic passing of the guide on between LTG Volesky and LTG George. (Picture courtesy of Al Watson)

LTG Gary Volesky speaks to audience during the I Corps Change of Command ceremony. (Picture courtesy of Al Watson)

Full video of the I Corps Change of Command can be viewed below:

LTG Volesky who is originally from Spokane, has had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army that began here at Eastern Washington University. One of the plaques we still have hanging up in Cadet Hall recognized the then Cadet Volesky for his “Aggressiveness” back in 1983.

volesky plaque

We additionally have some old yearbooks in Cadet Hall where we have an image of LTG Volesky being commissioned into the rank of 2nd Lieutenant by the then EWU Army ROTC Professor of Military Science, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Walter.

The then Cadet Gary Volesky (left) is commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1983 by EWU Army ROTC Professor of Military Science Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Walter.

From everyone at EWU Army ROTC we congratulate LTG Volesky on his retirement. His over 36 years of committed service to the U.S. Army and our nation is remarkable. He is truly an example of outstanding leadership for all our Cadets to aspire to. Go Fighting Eags!