One-hundred and fifty students stand in even lines, perfectly still, chins up, backs straight, arms glued to their sides, wearing green camouflage uniforms and heavy brown trekkie boots. You see these students in uniform on Grounds every Tuesday, but have you ever wondered why?
With the country on the verge of entering World War II in 1940, the University became the tenth college in the country to establish a Reserve Office Training Corps program. The University's first ROTC program, Navy ROTC, was followed by Army ROTC in 1948 and Air Force ROTC in 1951.
A significant number of ROTC students come from military families, so they have been exposed to the military lifestyle from a young age, said third-year College student Armando Aguilera, who is a member of Air Force ROTC.
"I have a family history in the military," Aguilera said. "My dad is retired Navy, and my brother is in the Marine Corps."
ROTC students' parents did not necessarily pressure them to join, however, said Erika Karls, a third-year College student and member of Air Force ROTC. Karls, a daughter of two retired Air Force parents, said she made the decision to join on her own.
"They never pushed me, but they did find the scholarship and encouraged me," said Karls.
Maria Buser, a fourth-year College student who is a member of Army ROTC, also comes from a military family. Unlike Karls, Buser's father, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, encouraged her to apply to a service academy, but she initially resisted the idea. Buser eventually joined the ROTC program during the spring semester of her first year.
"When I saw everyone walking around in their uniforms, I thought, 'Wow, they're really doing something with their lives,'" Buser said. "Then, I saw a girl who had worn pearls and heels everyday of high school in uniform, and I thought, if she can do it, I can too."
Buser, most importantly, did not want to live to regret missing out on the opportunity to be part of the ROTC program.
"I wasn't sure if I could make it," Buser said. "[But] I didn't want to be an 80-year-old woman looking back and not having an answer."
Buser and Aguilera both said they, and many of their fellow members, joined the ROTC program to serve their country.
"When it came time to make the decision, I wanted to serve my country and do something selfless," Aguilera said. "My job isn't going to be crunching numbers, but it will be protecting our nation."
Many third and fourth years are busy looking for jobs, but Aguilera said ROTC students already have jobs. Karls is on track to become a pilot, one of the most rigorous Air Force paths. Buser plans to serve active duty as part of the Army's Ordinance Corps, a group that does bomb-related logistical and maintenance work, when she graduates this May.
The ROTC program also opens doors to a world of opportunities which does not necessarily include active duty. After gaining professional training, Aguilera hopes to serve as a medical doctor; first-year Engineering student Timothy Barry, another member of the Air Force ROTC, said he wants to conduct biomedical research.
ROTC programs also offer scholarships to students who agree to serve four years for the military. These scholarships are limited, and students must apply for them during their senior year of high school. Barry has a ROTC scholarship which pays for all four years of college.
Students can also receive financial help for graduate school if they agree to continue their military service after college.
"The military would pay for medical school, then I would do an internship and residency through the military, and then I would work in a military hospital," Aguilera said.
For all its benefits, the ROTC program requires a significant time commitment. Air Force ROTC students have five hours of required training a week, including two physical training sessions at six in the morning, a one-credit class and a leadership lab. Students also have jobs to keep the corps running smoothly and must exercise regularly on their own, making the time commitment closer to 12-15 hours per week, Aguilera said. Workouts include running an average of three miles and doing calisthenics, a combination of push-ups, planks, crunches and bicycles, Barry said..
During the required academic courses, students learn leadership skills and the history of the military branch in which they will serve, Barry said.
They also learn military skills such as infantry and navigation in Army ROTC, Buser said.
As students become upperclassmen, they gain more leadership responsibilities. For example, third- and fourth-year Air Force ROTC cadets are the flight commanders and are responsible for one or two first- or second-year cadets, Barry said.
"You have a mission - to apply leadership techniques you've learned to guide first- and second-year students, and get the mission done," Aguilera said. "It's kind of like being the chair of a committee."
Buser said the ROTC program is not just about gaining leadership skills or getting a job; the program allows students to "experience things that most people never get to do," such as when Buser jumped out of a plane at the U.S. Army Airborne School the summer between her second and third year.
The ROTC experience is both demanding and rewarding, Barry, Buser and Aguilera said.
"I've tried to think of what my college experience would be without it," Buser said. "And I just can't imagine it"
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