A&M-KINGSVILLE ROTC CADETS COMPLETE SIX-WEEK LEADERSHIP TRAINING COURSE

(KINGSVILLE, September 19, 1996) - A grueling, six-week venture at the mercy of U.S. Army personnel, recently taught two determined Texas A&M University-Kingsville students what leadership is all about.

Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets Jessica Ramirez, a junior biology major from La Villa, and Humberto Saenz, a junior engineering major from Beeville, recently completed six weeks of leadership training at Camp Challenge in Fort Knox, Ky. The pair are among 140 ROTC cadets who presently attend A&M-Kingsville.

Camp Challenge is a basic camp for the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. Participating cadets are placed in leadership positions within a company or platoon and are evaluated over the course of six weeks. Cadet evaluation is based on the performance of missions, how he or she takes care of individuals within his or her group, communication skills and sensitivity toward the needs of others within the group.

Upon completion of the Camp Challenge program, Cadets Ramirez and Saenz received a two-year scholarship worth $3,000 per year to cover the cost of their college tuition, books and fees; and $150 of spending money for 20 months, in addition to $760 received for the six weeks of leadership training.

Training at Camp Challenge includes instruction in basic rifle marksmanship, land and map navigation, rigorous physical challenges and an orientation to various branches of the U.S. Army.

The purpose, explained Capt. Arthur Medina, ROTC Recruiting Operations Officer at A&M-Kingsville, is to Aobserve officer potential and to contract (camp participants) into ROTC, which will produce Army officers for the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and the State and National Guard.

"It really trains future leaders and officers," he said.

Prospective candidates need not be affiliated with ROTC or the military, although they must be enrolled in a college or university, and undergo a selection process. Those who are selected to attend Camp Challenge are under no obligation to the military or ROTC.

Approximately 15 percent of commissioned officers in the various U.S. Army branches are graduates of Camp Challenge, Medina added.

Both cadets agreed the challenge was worth it. "The training was really fun and eventful," Ramirez said. "I learned more about myself, made new friends, and gained abilities and confidence in myself."

Saenz said the training provided opportunities to excel and meet students from other areas of the country, including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.

Cadets are urged to interact with others in the program to learn about other types of personalities and cultures, according to Medina.

"They are encouraged to work together as a team and develop that team within a couple of days," Medina said. "They form a real quick bond partnership with each other. They literally eat together, they go through training together and they have time off together."

Following her stint at Camp Challenge, Ramirez opted to attend the U.S. Army Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Ga., where she completed five successful jumps from a C-130 airplane, one of which was a night jump.

-TAMUK-
-Mary McAdam