Reserve Officer Training Corps

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

By: Cadet Marcos Sanchez

On the 30th of January 2020, Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) Cadets were tested on their knowledge and proficiency of squad based, special team operations. These special team operations consist of Aid and Litter (A&L) and Enemy Prisoner of War (EPW) handling. A&L is a crucial task that must be performed accurately and efficiently, this team could be the line between life and death in real combat situations.

Proper handling of EPW’s is also vital for survival in live combat. Ensuring that the EPW is free of weapons that may cause harm to your squad is very important. Cadets are also instructed to search the prisoners for any priority intelligence information.

On top of training the special teams, Cadets were also able to get hands on experience with the M240B. The M240B is one of the US Military’s crew serve machine guns. Cadets will be using this while at Advanced Camp and Basic Camp this summer.  That is why it is important for them to be proficient at mounting/dismounting it from a tripod, conduct a malfunction clearing, and loading rounds.

As the halfway mark of the quarter approaches, so does the winter field training exercise (FTX). During the FTX the MSIII class will be tested on their ability to lead a squad through multiple scenarios in a rigorous 24+ hour event.  You can see more pictures from the lab at this link.

Go Fighting Eags!