| Show t ROTC Delivers a Lesson in in Self-Discipline Self I 44 1 By Edward Fuller Editorial Editor I accompanied a large group of ROTC students on a river-rafting river trip to Flaming Gorge Utah Most of them were students in the ROTC programs of the University of Utah Westminister College and Weber State Some of these students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents were alumni I was impressed by the self-discipline self and mature behavior that these young men and women displayed for the duration of the time I spent with them Although I felt sort-of sort like an outsider they treated me cordially and most were willing to answer the questions I asked them about the ROTC program I experienced the first feelings of doubt about my lly ability to successfully successfully successfully suc suc- pack prepare and get up early enough to be on time for our departure from the ROTC facilities at the University of Utah's tah's campus when James Otis informed me that the convoy of buses and vans would leave at am a.m. on September September September Sep Sep- I rolled out of the sack at about am a.m. and stumbled groggily through my morning rituals My disoriented foot-dragging foot almost caused me to miss the opportunity to go on the river-rafting river trip The ROTC students and their instructors tors sat patiently in buses and vans They were gassed up geared and ready to go as I straggled to the departure site twenty minutes late After stowing my gear I found that my photographer and I shared a van with some of the medical staff who were going on the trip I 1 thought that our grouping with the medical staff was a good thing whether it was or planned We traveled the mountainous landscape of northern Utah and southern Wyoming in a convoy of 1 r. r buses and vans on the highway t We reached Flaming Gorge after a a. r scenic hour five-hour journey taking an i additional hour out of our day to J r voraciously overrun a McDonalds McDonald's 1 in Evanston Wyoming A vast redrock canyon with walls that towered above a broad i turquoise body of water came into 4 view as we neared our camp site in inFlaming inFlaming m J Flaming Gorge We crossed a abridge abridge j bridge that spanned a dam From 1 that vantage point we could see the serpentine swift-flowing swift part of the Green River that we would be rowing down soon The officers and group leaders performed a and head headcount headcount headcount count when we reached our camp camp- ground Then most of the cadets scurried off and set up camp Most ost of the cadets socialized and joked with one another and some listened to music continued page 5 ROTC Members Enjoy Two Days of River Rafting cont from page 4 1 ROTC To put it simply they behaved like most of my peers and classmates classmates classmates class class- mates except they were organized and disciplined Although most of the cadets were younger than I they were putting me to shame After lunch our group leaders assembled the rafting crews and passed out wetsuits and life jack ets We rode to the landing boat-landing and unloaded the inflated rafts Four rafts splashed into the water Everyone grabbed an oar and paddled away from the shore My group was a part of the second wave of rafting crews to go down the river Each crew was supposed to consist of about ten members but somehow our raft had a crew of six Our crew consisted of a reporter and a photographer from the U of Us U's newspaper an army medic our coxswain the photographer and myself Unfortunately for us our small crew made us susceptible to pirate crews on rival rafts We were boarded a couple of times had a few oars stolen our raft partially deflated and a couple of us were thrown into the river In other words we had a blast One benefit benefit benefit bene bene- fit of our small crew was that our light load made us more erable than most of the large crew- crew laden pirate rafts Eventually our crew had enough sense to evade the other crafts and let them go after each other in splash and boarding battles that were more challenging than any resistance we could put up Our crew became occupied with the wondrous sights and sounds of the river Shooting through the rapids was the most fun of all One could feel the irre- irre power of this watery force of nature that carved the very canyon in which we traveled The Mother-in-Law Mother Rapid offered the the- most excitement as it sent choppy waves crashing into our raft Our medic was rather disgruntled with some of the activities that had transpired during our trip down the river and was extremely happy when we finally came to the end of our river journey The ROTC boat crews came ashore a while later as they had been busy battling each other the whole way down the river Everyone acted as a team in loading the heavy rafts back onto the trailer for transport back to the campsite That evening we had a huge cookout and we ate hamburgers hamburgers hamburgers ham ham- burgers chili potato pota pota- to chips to our fill Later cadets built a big bonfire I interviewed some cadets who were warming themselves and conversing by the fire When asked what they liked best about the ROTC program many of the cadets mentioned the structure and teamwork teamwork teamwork team team- work that were integral to their activities Some said they thought that being involved with the ROTC was fun and a great way to improve their preparation for future careers One of the students that I interviewed interviewed interviewed inter inter- viewed was David Lemon He is a former Student Senator at He is a group leader in the ROTC program Lemon said that the ROTC has hasa a very helpful scholarship program that has made an education at the University of Utah affordable for him and his family 4 43 4 D 7 x s w T j. j Photo by Ellroy Begay Army ROTC annual river rafting trip members from Weber State University of Utah and Westminster participated in the two day team work and bonding experience 1 The main reasons that he joined the ROTC program were to improve his leadership skills and his chances for leadership opportunities opportunities opportunities in the future he continued Lemon believed that activities such as the river-rafting river trip brought members of the ROTC closer together on a personal level instead of just a secular one he said I had a hard time getting some of those I interviewed to tell me what they liked least about the ROTC program After a while I almost expected them to give me their name rank and serial number when asked to respond on that sub sub- I would say that the main thing that people would complain about is being willing to take orders humbling before their superiors and acting in the best interests of their team instead of themselves Perhaps it is because many of us seem to have a problem problem problem lem with self The ROTC program m might be e good way for many young young people people to learn self-discipline self teamwork leadership skills and respect for authority These are qualities that many of us would do well to develop because they usually allow us to have more success in life If you would like more information information information mation on the opportunities available available available avail avail- able through the ROTC program contact your counselor |
