crb newsletter - boston university · contact us fall field training exercise mission: the charles...
TRANSCRIPT
CRB NEWSLETTER
Those who succeed in the
Army ROTC program are stu-
dents who excel and want
something more out of the
college experience. General-
ly, these students
are scholars who keep their
grades up, athletes who are
physically strong and lead-
ers who have a great desire
to learn.
In This Issue
Fall Field Training Exercise
Spotlight on Prior– Service
Summer Training: LTC
Project GO– BU
CULP Program
Calling All Alumni!
Commander’s Comments
Photo Gallery
Contact Us
Fall Field Training Exercise
Mission: The Charles River Battalion conducts the Fall Field Training Exercise at Fort Devens, MA, from 27-29 SEP 13, to train and assess cadets on individual and collective LDAC tasks.
To complete this mission, the cadets of the Charles River Battalion spent a
weekend in Fort Devens familiarizing themselves with the M16 A2 rifle in
Basic Rifle Marksmanship, tying Swiss seats to rappel off of a 50 foot tower,
using critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the Field Leader Reaction
Course (FLRC), and conducting several iterations of day and night land navi-
gation. For many cadets, this was their first time eating MREs (Meals Ready
to Eat) and firing a weapon. This not only provided insight for new cadets into
the skills they will be developing in ROTC, but also provided the junior class
an opportunity to practice their leadership skills for their training and assess-
ment in the upcoming summer, at the Leader’s Development and Assess-
ment Course (LDAC).
Charles River Battalion November 5th, 2013
Spotlight on Prior Service Mark Ostroski, MSII, Bridgewater State University
Before ROTC, my MOS was 31B or Military Police Officer. I was a Spe-
cialist and my job ranged from gunner to eventually team leader in the 4th
brigade 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Polk, LA. I trained as a combat
or brigade MP towards my deployment scheduled in October 2010 and
spent time as a gunner to familiarize myself with weapons and all other
concurrent training. I decided to apply for a Green to Gold scholarship so
that I could push forward my leadership skills and become a commis-
sioned officer.
The leadership of the MSIV’s and cadre members is helping to develop
my problem solving and leadership skills so that I can one day become a
role model for my soldiers. When I am commissioned I would like to
branch into the infantry as an active duty officer, in hopes to shape and
define my soldiers to become experts and professionals at everything
they do.
I believe that great leadership is not defined as who you are, but rather
who your subordinates are and how they react to situations and obstacles
presented to them. My advice for the cadets in the Army Charles River
Battalion who have never had prior enlisted experience is to be thinking
soldiers. As future Army Officers, it is up to you to make a difference, your
soldiers will follow if you prove that you can lead.
CRB Conducts Pass In Review On October 22nd, the cadets of the Charles
River Battalion participated in a tri-service Pass
in Review ceremony for their leadership.
The Pass In Review is a long– standing military
tradition in which a commander inspects his or
her troops. The ceremony requires the troops to
be disciplined and well-versed in Drill and Cere-
mony, so that when they march by the com-
mander’s party they can be seen as an impres-
sive force.
The CRB was delighted to welcome Colonel
Everett S. Spain as the reviewing officer for the
ceremony. In his speech to the cadets, he em-
phasized the qualities of leadership that are to
be expected of them, including Loyalty, Duty,
Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and
Personal Courage.
The Cadet Staff Stands at Attention
Mark Ostroski
Cadets participate in a road march (left), conduct battle drills as a squad (middle), and negotiate obstacles (right)
Leader’s Training Course (LTC) Christina La Fleur, MSIII, Boston University
LTC (Leader’s Training Course) is a summer camp for cadets who did not complete Basic Course for the ROTC
program. The camp takes two years of Leadership Labs, PT, and various ceremonies, and condenses them
into 29 days of constant Army. “Constant Army” is a concept that is completely foreign to most cadets until they
go to LDAC. Constant Army is never having more than 7 hours of sleep, and rarely more than 5. It means
cleaning toilets during fire guard and, for some people, their very first totally open showers and the disappear-
ance of any concept of privacy. It means standing at parade rest while waiting in line for chow, snapping to at-
tention every time you take a single step forward. It means marching everywhere.
For prior service cadets, this is hardly anything new. In fact, LTC represents a marketing, more than training,
opportunity for the ROTC program, and so has a high adventure focus and far more lax environment compared
to Basic Training or other programs outside ROTC. But the typical campus cadet never has experienced any-
thing even close to this.
Beyond the day to day grind, LTC provides two unique experiences: drill sergeants and water operations. All
the other events and activities of LTC are replicated in some degree in a typical military science class progres-
sion. However those dreaded figures, along with one of the best team- building activities, are unique to the LTC
experience.
Water operations began with each squad looking through a pile of junk and working together to build a boat out
of it. Like a lot of activities, the success of the mission depended on the cooperation of the whole team, but few
things are more motivating than beating the other squads in a breakneck race. Next you put your ruck on the
line by building a raft, again with your buddy, made of your own packs, boots, rubber ducks (fake M16 rifles),
and ponchos. Try dipping your only set of dry clothes in the lake. Now imagine the feeling of success and pride
in your team when they come out bone dry. That is what water ops does.
On the other hand, few words can fill a platoon with more dread than the words “half left FACE.” It means
pushups are coming. A lot of them. It means you are in deep. Drill sergeants were there in your face nearly 24
Leader’s Training Course, continued
hours a day: to wake you up, to turn off the lights, to wake you up again once the lights were turned off, and all
day long. You don’t make the same mistake twice when the first time leaves you in the first count of the squat
bender until told otherwise.
Drill sergeants are most often incredibly experienced and knowledgeable people, and those at LTC are no ex-
ception. As the month progresses they tell more of their stories, and, intentionally or unintentionally, impress
cadets and instill respect beyond rank or their ability to demand corrective PT.
The LTC experience is like nothing else in the ROTC program. It is a new kind of exposure, a whole different
level of “team building,” and involves completely different kinds of pressures. Even for a cadet who has been
involved for some time on campus, the relationship with drill sergeants and your squad inevitably changes your
view of Army, ROTC, and your role in all of it.
An LTC Experience Kait Phelan, MSIII, Wheaton College
This summer I attended the Leadership Training
Course at Fort Knox. From June 16th to July 17
th, I
learned basic soldiering skills and caught up to my
peers in the ROTC program. I was very proud to rep-
resent Boston University and Wheaton College at
LTC.
Cadet Anthony D’Angelo (top left) and Cadet Kait Phelan (bottom left) participate in the Obstacle Course and FLRC, re-spectively. LTC cadets work together in a team building exercise (bottom right).
Cadet, Student, World Traveler Kelsey Kornblut, MSIII, Boston University
This summer I studied abroad at Fudan University in Shanghai, China
through Project Global Officer (Project GO) and learned a year’s worth of
Mandarin Chinese in 8 weeks. Also studying abroad with me was Cadet
Wojtasinski and 35 other Army, Air Force, and Navy Cadets/Midshipmen
from around the country as well as regular BU students, which made for a
very diverse and fun group.
I had studied 2 years of Chinese at Boston University already, so I was
taking advanced Third Year Chinese while I was there. During the week, I
had 3 hours of classroom instruction and a 15-minute one on one session
with a professor each day. During the weekends, I was able to explore
Shanghai and other cities in China to include Suzhou, Wuzhen, and Qing-
dao. The program also took us to Beijing for a week where we got to climb
the Great Wall, visit Tiananmen Square, and walk around the Forbidden
City.
While I learned over 2,000 characters from my textbook this summer, just
being directly immersed in the culture improved my Chinese more than
textbooks and classes ever could have. Some of the best speaking I ever
did was with cab drivers, hotel employees, cooks at food stands, and
sales people at bargain markets. Overall, the knowledge and cultural un-
derstanding that I gained while I was in China this summer is something
that I will always be grateful for and I cannot wait until I can go back. I tru-
ly could not recommend doing Project GO in Shanghai enough.
LTC– Take Three
Ryan Coolen, MSIII, Curry
College
Being part of Leaders Training
Course from 08July to 05AUG
has made me a stronger per-
son both physically and men-
tally and prepared me greatly
for the many years ahead. Be-
tween the amount of training I
endured and the people I
worked with, I would not trade
this experience for anything.
Cadet Ryan Coolen stands at attention for the camera
CDT Kelsey Kornblut and CDT Wojtasinki on the Great Wall of China
History Lesson
Military education at Boston
University dates back to
World War I, when the Stu-
dent’s Army Training corps
was established. Units have
been on campus since
1919, with the exception of a
ten-year period during the
1970s.
Army ROTC’s presence at
Boston University resumed
in 1980 when it was accord-
ed recognition as a host de-
tachment. More then three
thousand military officers
have received degrees from
Boston University. Some
two thousand one hundred
officers have been commis-
sioned through Boston Uni-
versity’s Army ROTC pro-
gram.
Cadet Zaniewski with Paraguayan cadets in the English classroom.
Military and Culture Combine Cadet Benjamin Zaniewski, MSII, Stonehill College
This past summer I participated in the USACC's CULP Program (Cultural Un-
derstanding and Language Proficiency). I was selected to travel to the South
American country of Paraguay with a team of 12 cadets from schools across the
United States. Our mission was to serve as an English language training team.
We taught Paraguayan military officers, civilians, students, and Paraguayan
cadets lessons on the English language through the Paraguayan Ministry of
Defense.
Our team also met and worked with members of the United States Embassy
and did several public relations events including celebrating the birthday of the
Army with high ranking officials in both the Paraguayan and United States mili-
tary. I was fortunate enough to meet up with an Army Special Forces ODA and
receive extremely valuable training with marksmanship on a number of weapon
platforms.
Our team also visited the neighboring country of Argentina, rappelled off a rock
face, explored the local markets, and interacted with countless citizens. It pro-
vided me with an increased global awareness, a better appreciation for the Ar-
my outside of ROTC, and a desire to travel around the world. The whole trip
was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend it to any cadet looking
for a once in a lifetime adventure.
Calling All Alumni!
Whether you have two years or twenty years of experience in the Army, the cadets of the Charles River
Battalion would like to hear about your experiences since commissioning as 2nd Lieutenants. Please fill
us in by sending us a profile of yourself to CDT Yaghoobian at [email protected], in the following format:
- Picture
- 1-2 paragraphs, including:
When you graduated from ROTC, and in what branch
Current position and location, explanation of duties
Previous command, staff and special assignments
Military and any extra civilian education
We look forward to hearing from you!
Commander’s Comments
Boston University Army ROTC– 9 Decades and Still Going Army Strong
I want to personally extend warmest regards and thanks to our distinguished graduates, our department’s
supporters, and 9 decades of Army Officers from Boston University ROTC. I am personally humbled and
grateful for the experience to lead this organization. These are extremely exciting times here at BU and in
our program. I am so amazed by the quality of the Cadets, their commitment to Service, and their eager-
ness to uphold the legacy we all are a part of. The program is strong and commissioning outstanding officers
for all components of the Army.
Boston University Army ROTC is at a critical juncture. We can no longer delay in establishing a strong and
enduring alumni organization that is capable of positive influence for the future of the Charles River Battal-
ion. We could use your help in two areas. First, we need to improve and update our records in order to
achieve the broadest possible circulation of a semesterly newsletter. The newsletter is written and designed
by Cadets in order to connect our future with our past. Any updates on addresses or where alumni are at in
the world is greatly appreciated. Second, we need a collective voice and organization that can muster re-
sources to make our Cadets more competitive, either through influence or donations.
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and assisting in passing our message along. It is our
goal to make this newsletter endure by inculcating our Cadets with the Charles River Battalion tradition and
their role in making a difference for future generations of Officers from Boston University. We also intend to
use this as a mechanism to communicate links to our Facebook page, our Linked In page, events such as an
alumni reception, and ways to stay connected. Thank you again for your Service and your interest in Boston
University Army ROTC.
Boston University Army ROTC
128 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215
Boston University Army ROTC—Born Free Serve Free Die Free
Photo Gallery Contact Us
Detachment
128 Baystate Rd
Boston MA, 02215
Phone: (617)-353-
4025/4026
Fax 617-353-7270
Recruiting Opera-
tions Officer:
Major Josh Goodrich
Phone: 617-353-4025
Email: [email protected]
Cadets navigate FLRC obstacles (top left), direct each other in FLRC lanes (top right), compete in the tri-service military competition Sheehan Cup (second row, left), conduct Squad STX (second row, middle), conduct a swim test (second row, right), con-duct combat ori-ented PT (bottom left), and partici-pate in Pass in Review (bottom right)