麻豆传媒入口

LEXINGTON, Va., Dec. 14, 2017鈥擣or 1^st Class cadets at VMI, winter is a time for academics to take center stage as the months to graduation tick away, and there鈥檚 a final push to shore up or maintain a grade point average. But for commissioning cadets, the link between academic learning and the real world becomes closer than ever over the winter months, as many learn their branch assignments in the armed services.

Not surprisingly, each branch of the service does things a little differently. Future Army officers find out in mid-November which of the Army鈥檚 17 branches they鈥檒l be serving in, with options ranging from infantry to cyber to transportation, among many others. Future Air Force officers also have their military occupational specialties assigned in mid-November, after having filled out a 鈥渄ream sheet鈥� of top picks earlier in the semester.

Future ensigns in the Navy have already determined which path they鈥檒l take, selecting from choices that include serving on a submarine or a ship, and those who鈥檒l serve on a ship are awaiting February, when they鈥檒l have the chance to pick their ships. Future Marine Corps officers are alone in not knowing what awaits: they won鈥檛 receive their job assignments until they鈥檙e near the end of The Basic School, the Marine Corps鈥� six-month training program for new officers.

For all commissioning members of the Class of 2018, the once-murky path to serving their country is becoming clearer as the academic year rolls on.

Emma Quirk 鈥�18 will be a public affairs officer for the Air Force. With a major in English, rhetoric, and humanistic studies, Quirk is eager to put her writing skills to use in public relations.

鈥淚 loved every subject in high school, and I didn鈥檛 find any subject I was excelling at more than the others,鈥� said Quirk of her decision to major in English. 鈥淚 chose English because it鈥檚 a very broad skill base that it gives you. I knew I was going to go into some sort of job that would require me to read well, write well, and analyze material.鈥�

As a child, Quirk was inspired by the story of Amelia Earhart and had long dreamed of becoming a pilot. Poor vision ended that dream, though, and Quirk was on the non-commissioning path with Army ROTC up until the past year, when the Air Force began adding additional slots for commissioning cadets.

鈥淭hings work out,鈥� said Quirk. 鈥淚 was on a different path, and it all worked out.鈥�

In her coursework in the Department of English, Rhetoric and Humanistic Studies, Quirk has found the emphasis on rhetoric helpful to her future career. She鈥檚 even writing an Institute honors thesis on the use of certainty as an appeal in rhetoric.

鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed the chance to analyze classic literature, study philosophy and art, and ultimately, how rhetoric brings that all together,鈥� Quirk commented. 鈥淚 think the balance that the major has has given me all the skills that I came in wanting and has prepared me to get to the next level.鈥�

And while there鈥檚 a definite link between Quirk鈥檚 academic major and her job assignment in the service, that鈥檚 not the case for all cadets, especially those commissioning into the Air Force.

鈥淭here鈥檚 plenty of positions in the Air Force that aren鈥檛 tied to any specific major,鈥� said Col. Steven Biggs, commander of VMI鈥檚 Air Force ROTC unit. Biggs should know: he became a pilot after studying political science at the University of Texas.

With that being said, the Air Force is well known for commissioning cadets who major in the STEM fields.

鈥淲e鈥檙e the most technologically-centric of the services,鈥� said Biggs. 鈥淭hat technology and innovation that we desire---that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e founded on鈥攊nnovation and the power of flight.鈥�

Academic major plays a role in job assignments in the Air Force, Biggs noted鈥攂ut so do a cadet鈥檚 grade point average, commander鈥檚 ranking, and his or her preferences for an assignment.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody was surprised with something that wasn鈥檛 in their top six [choices on the dream sheet],鈥� said Biggs. 鈥淔or this graduating class, about 96 percent got their top three.鈥�

Elijah Dean 鈥�18 had been dreaming of a career as a Navy SEAL since his senior year of high school鈥攁nd earlier this fall, that dream took a step closer to reality when he received word that he鈥檇 been selected for training. He鈥檚 the only cadet from the Class of 2018 to be selected for SEAL training鈥攁nd one of only 17 to be selected from ROTC units nationwide, out of a candidate pool of over 140 individuals.

Much of Dean鈥檚 effort has been concentrated toward passing the SEAL physical screening test. To pass the test, a candidate must be able to swim 500 yards in a time of 12 minutes and 30 seconds, do 50 pushups in two minutes, perform 10 consecutive pull-ups in two minutes, and run a mile and a half in 10 minutes and 30 seconds.

鈥淚 try to be in the gym a lot,鈥� said Dean. He鈥檚 found, though, that it鈥檚 as important to be mentally fit as physically fit鈥攁nd that the two are interrelated.

鈥淎s long as you鈥檙e consistent about working out, putting that above everything else, that鈥檚 what develops the mental toughness,鈥� said Dean.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the fittest guys,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about whether you can do 100 pull-ups or not. It鈥檚 about how bad you want it and how long you鈥檙e going to stick with it.鈥�

On the academic side, Dean鈥檚 interest in criminal justice led him to select a psychology major at VMI. He noted that the behavioral psychology classes, which deal with how people act in groups and respond to certain stimuli, have been helpful preparation for his future career.

And while Dean knows where he鈥檚 going after graduation, many of his Brother Rats in the Navy ROTC still don鈥檛 know. That鈥檚 particularly true for future surface warfare officers, as they won鈥檛 pick their ships until early 2018. It鈥檚 a moment of great anticipation, as future ensigns sometimes meet the commander of their new ship by video teleconference.

Some are likely counting down the days already. 鈥淎 lot of the students really want to get underway,鈥� said Col. Dave Coggins, commander of VMI鈥檚 Naval ROTC unit. 鈥淭hey want to sail the seven seas.鈥� 

As Navy option 1^st Class cadets wait for their assignments, Coggins and his staff work on helping them gain the extra edge necessary to become officers. They do so by adding their own ROTC spit and polish to what the Institute already provides.

鈥淭he polish we give them as a 麻豆传媒入口cadet is like a naval polish, like a bowling ball that鈥檚 already pretty shiny,鈥� said Coggins. 鈥淲e kind of take a Navy cloth or a Marine Corps piece of camouflage and wrap that around them as much as we can.鈥�

The Army ROTC likewise concerns itself with producing successful new officers. As with the Air Force and its 鈥渄ream sheet,鈥� the Army has a preference sheet that 1^st Class cadets fill out, this time specifying which one of the Army鈥檚 17 branches in which they鈥檇 like to serve.

鈥淏y and large most of them will get one of their top three choices,鈥� said Col. Mike Wawrzyniak, professor of military science with the Army ROTC. This year, 81 percent of cadets received one of their top three choices, up from 77 percent last year.

Getting one鈥檚 choice of assignments in the Army is closely linked to a cadet鈥檚 standing on the order of merit list (OML), which ranks all ROTC cadets across the nation numerically from 1 to approximately 5,500. The OML, said Wawrzyniak, is compiled after cadets attend ROTC Advance Camp (formerly the Leadership Development and Assessment Course) the summer after their 2^nd Class year, and includes components such as academics, performance in ROTC, physical training scores, and more.

Cadets in the top 10 percent of the OML get their first branch choice automatically. Those in the top 20 percent of the OML are named as distinguished military graduates鈥攁nd this year, 麻豆传媒入口has 47 cadets meeting that specification, out of a total of 146 expected to commission in 2018.

鈥淭he military culture really feeds into their performance in ROTC,鈥� said Wawrzyniak of VMI鈥檚 consistent success in producing cadets who rank highly on the OML. 鈥淭he education they鈥檙e getting here is going to set them up to be a successful officer.鈥�

One of those future Army officers, Ian Horkan 鈥�18, had a dream come true this fall when he found out he would be entering the infantry鈥攁 goal he鈥檇 set for himself in elementary school.

鈥淚鈥檓 really happy I got infantry,鈥� said Horkan, a Massachusetts native who came to 麻豆传媒入口specifically for the reputation of its Army ROTC and is now ranked number one on the 麻豆传媒入口Army ROTC鈥檚 internal order of merit list. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the one thing ever I really wanted to do.鈥�

Completing the Army鈥檚 Basic Airborne Course this past summer affirmed Horkan鈥檚 decision that the infantry was the place for him.

鈥淭he amount of care that goes into that branch, the amount of care you see from the NCOs and the officers and the professionalism鈥擨 was incredibly impressed by that,鈥� said Horkan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the most serious job in the Army.鈥�

Horkan entered 麻豆传媒入口sure of both the Army and his biology major, and he鈥檚 stuck with both. 鈥淚 really like biology because it makes you think critically,鈥� he commented. 鈥淚 got STEM points for being a biology major toward my branch.鈥�

This year, Horkan is combining his interests by writing an Institute Honors thesis on the impact of biological and chemical weapons on Army units in places such as Korea and Eastern Europe. Once he鈥檚 ready to retire from the Army, Horkan thinks he might use his biology degree by either going to medical school or taking a government job researching biological threats to the U.S. military. But he鈥檚 not thinking too far down the road just yet.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking the Army for all its worth and want to go as far as I can.鈥�

-Mary Price

-VMI-