By Ryan Downs

Staff Writer

Army ROTC is the right program for students who may want something specific out of college, and possess or are interested in qualities such as ambition, organization and physical stamina.

It may seem strange that on a campus so close to both Camp Pendleton and San Diego, the on-campus Army ROTC program is so young. But despite its brief presence on campus, ROTC has offered a lot to CSUSM and its students.

The Army ROTC program is relatively new to CSUSM and is partnered with the San Diego State University Army ROTC program.

The purpose of ROTC is to train cadets in the skills they will need to become officers in the United States Army. It functions primarily as a leadership program meant to turn students into better adults and leaders.

In addition to a class twice a week, the group tries to meet for Physical Training in the morning three times a week, with tactical leadership lab participation once a week.

“We go out there on Thursdays and do a variety of things that include what’s called ‘squad situation training exercises,’ where a cadet is in charge of 12 people. They have to (develop) a mission plan and then execute it, the missions are traditional military missions like ambushes or raids,” ROTC member Ben Hall said.

Hall points out that the primary objective with these exercises is to help the students become better leaders; they are not necessarily judged upon how effective they would be in combat, which may be a point of confusion among some students.

“Once you get contracted, usually in your third year, you get to commission as an officer in the United States Army, which is usually a lot more beneficial than enlistment,” Hall said.

No army commitment is required, although there are scholarship opportunities for those who contract. The hope is that they will remember the organizational and tactical lessons they have learned while having taken part in the program.

“Since I joined ROTC, I’ve definitely developed a lot as a person. It’s taught me how to work with people from all spectrums of life,” Hall said.

Interested students can contact Captain James Lehner at [email protected].