EWU Army ROTC NCO Recognized as the Cadet Command Instructor of the Year

The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) “Fighting Eagles” battalion is pleased to announce that one of our faculty members, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jason Hennig has been selected as the 2018 US Army Cadet Command NCO Instructor of the Year.  Each year US Army Cadet Command recognizes one non-commissioned officer (NCO), from its 274 ROTC battalions across the country for this award, with this year’s recognition deservedly going to SFC Hennig.

SFC Jason Hennig


ROTC Impact

Positively impacting the lives of young men and women is what we do in the Fighting Eagles battalion and over the past year SFC Hennig has done just that.  For example he was a driving force in preparing our MS-III (Junior) Cadets for Advanced Camp.  Advanced Camp is held each summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky and the 37 day event is the culmination of three years of intense training in the ROTC program.  All Cadets must pass Advanced Camp to commission as an officer into the US Army and must perform well to improve their chances of receiving their top branch choice.  All 19 EWU ROTC Cadets passed Advanced Camp with 12 of 19 (63%) of them receiving outstanding or excellent scores.  These high scores helped 11 of the 14 Cadets commissioning this year to receive their first branch choice in the Army.  This 78% success rate was greater than the Cadet Command average of 60%.

SFC Hennig also helped with organizing many great Cadet activities such as the Expert Fighting Eagle Badge (EFEB) competition that tests Cadets on basic Soldier skills.  Cadets that pass this test are awarded an EFEB to wear on their Cadet uniform.  The challenging competition is one of the ways EWU ROTC Cadets are prepared to succeed at Advanced Camp.  SFC Hennig also assisted with organizing the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB) testing that saw 167 Cadets, Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors travel to the EWU campus to compete for the badge.  Due to SFC Hennig’s training plan, the Fighting Eagles battalion had the highest number pass the test with 26x personnel receiving a GAFPB.


University and Community Impact

Besides being a great instructor in the ROTC program, SFC Hennig has also been selected as a guest speaker for classes in the EWU Department of Women and Gender Studies. His guest lectures have focused on the US Army’s sexual assault prevention program and the role of women in the Army. He was also invited to serve as a motivational speaker for the women’s soccer team prior to their opening game in the conference tournament.  SFC Hennig has been very active in the local community as well. He serves as a Cub Scout Leader for Pack 258 in Spokane, which consists of weekly den meetings and bi weekly weekend events such as Scouting Out Hunger and visiting senior centers.

The EWU ROTC Professor of Military Science, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Stafford (left) congratulates Sergeant First Class Jason Hennig (right) after he was awarded the Bronze de Fleury Medal this past January.


SFC Hennig is clearly a high performing leader and instructor that has made a positive impact on the Fighting Eagles battalion, Eastern Washington University, and the greater community.  Once again congratulations to SFC Hennig for his well deserved recognition as the US Army Cadet Command NCO Instructor of the Year.

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!

 

 

Fighting Eagles Cadet Selected for Military Lawyer Internship

EWU ROTC is proud to announce that Cadet Nicholas Null has been selected for a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) Internship.

The U.S. Army JAG Corps operates much like a court system and its military lawyers are licensed attorneys qualified to represent the Army and Army Soldiers in military legal matters.  Judge Advocates are often tasked with representing Soldiers during a courts-martial, but the JAG Corps actually encompasses a wide range of legal disciplines, including civil litigation, tort claims, labor law, and international law.

Cadet Null was selected for the internship through a Cadet Command sponsored competitive nomination process that required him to demonstrate academic excellence, physical fitness, and high character.  Cadet Null this summer will be traveling to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma where he will intern with an active duty JAG officer.  Becoming a military lawyer is Cadet Null’s goal and this internship brings him one step closer to making it a reality.

Congratulations to Cadet Null for being selected for this outstanding internship.

GO ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!

Pictures from the Snow Covered Eastern Washington University Campus

School was closed today at Eastern Washington University (EWU) due to the approximately 6 inches of snow that fell around the Cheney area.  All the snow made driving around Cheney challenging, but it sure made the university look more scenic than usual.

There is more snow on the way tonight for the Spokane area, but in the meantime enjoy the below pictures from around today’s nearly deserted EWU campus:

Picture of the front of Cadet Hall.


Our ROTC pickup truck covered in snow.


Cadet Hall covered in heavy snow.


Wall course below Cadet Hall.


The Computer and Engineering Building located adjacent to Cadet Hall.


The main pathway through the EWU campus.


The historic school house located on the EWU campus


Snow accumulated on a table in front of Patterson Hall.


Snow piled up in front of Roos Field.


 

 

EWU ROTC Cadet Selected for Army Test & Evaluation Command Internship

Congratulations to Cadet Sam Coutts for being selected for an internship with the Army Test & Evaluation Command (ATEC).

ATEC plans, integrates, and conducts experiments, developmental testing, independent operational testing, and independent evaluations and assessments to provide essential information to acquisition decision makers and commanders.  ATEC conducts tests every day across 5 1/2 million acres of diverse terrain.   Cadet Coutts, who is currently a senior at Eastern Washington University (EWU) studying Engineering, will travel this summer to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland where he will intern as an assistant test officer.

Cadet Coutts was selected for the ATEC internship through a Cadet Command sponsored competitive nomination process open to only Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors.  In addition to needing to be a STEM major, Cadet Coutts had to demonstrate academic excellence, physical fitness, and high character.  Congratulations to Cadet Coutts for being selected to this outstanding internship

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!

Cold Temperatures Do Not Stop Fighting Eagles from Executing Squad Operations Training

On February, 7 2019, the Eastern Washington University (EWU) ROTC battalion conducted its weekly leadership lab at John F. Kennedy (JFK) Field.  The temperatures were well below freezing, but this did not stop the Fighting Eagles Battalion Cadets from executing an outstanding leadership lab.  This week Cadets went over how to properly execute movement formations and techniques and how to cross a linear danger area (LDA) in squad size elements.  After first formation, the officer in charge (OIC) Cadet Ryan Smith, gave an overview brief of the sequences of events for the lab before releasing each platoon to their assigned stations.


Cadet Haley Bent (center) instructs Cadets on proper movement formations.


At each station there was one senior Cadet (MS-IV) assisting and evaluating the squads in each platoon on proper movement techniques. Each platoon started out with movement formations where their MS-IV Cadet showed them how that station should be done. This allowed the junior (MS-III) Cadets an opportunity to see what the performance standards on how the training should look if properly executed.  The first station the platoons executed and were evaluated on was movement formations.  The movement formations consisted of a wedge, line and file formations.  These formations are used in different terrains so that personnel can more easily move through it while maintaining security.


EWU ROTC Cadets practice how to conduct a wedge formation in front of the EWU Computer and Engineering building.


After movement formations, the Cadets then trained and tested on movement techniques.  The techniques Cadets executed were “traveling”, which allows personnel to move at a faster pace, but has the least security. The next technique was “traveling over watch”, which is a slower pace than traveling, but provides better security. Finally “bounding over watch” which is when personnel move at a slower pace, but it provides the best security.


Cadet Tyler Roylance (center) provides instruction on how to execute proper movement techniques.


The last training objective that the Cadets executed was a Linear Danger Area (LDA) crossing.  This technique is used when personnel are moving towards an objective and have to get across any road or linear area safely.  LDA crossings consist of setting up security on both sides of the road, then having the other side of the road secured before the rest of the element crosses the road.


Cadet Megan Anderson (left) trains Cadets during the weekly leadership lab at JFK Field.


After completing each station, the Cadets had an after action report (AAR), that allowed the MS-IV to brief the MS-III Cadets on how their squads performed.  Each MS-III was graded at the station with quantifiable performance measures. This helped Cadets know what they need to work on the next time they ran through that station again.  The lab ended when all the squads were able to pass the evaluation for each station.  The skills trained on during the lab further builds the basic solider knowledge for the Cadets as they prepare for the Winter FTX next month.

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eagles!

EWU ROTC Cadets Selected for the Forensic Internship Program

EWU ROTC is proud to announce the selection of Cadets Cheyenne Sweet and Valentino Olmstead for the Forensic Internship Program.

This summer both Cadets will intern at the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) located in Largo, Florida.  The internship will expose the Cadets to the latest cutting edge technology utilized for biometric and forensic identification.  They will be taught how to examine and develop fingerprints, chemical detection and analysis, media/cellular exploitation, improvised explosive device (IED) investigations, and the capabilities of deployable forensic laboratories.

Both Cadets were selected for the Forensic Internship Program through a Cadet Command sponsored competitive nomination process that required them to demonstrate academic excellence, physical fitness, and high character.  Congratulations to Cadets Sweet and Olmstead for being selected to this prestigious internship.

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!