UW ARMY ROTC - Retro Post

I joined the University of Washington Kinnear Husky Battalion, Army ROTC program, Winter Quarter, January 2005.

I first thought about it my first week of classes, 28-30 September 2004, the beginning of Fall Quarter though. I met my future teachers, SFC Robert Tetu, and Cpt. Lisa Pirak at the climbing wall the department had set up on the Lewis Lawn, right across the street from Clark Hall, the military science building. If you got to the top, you got a purple Army ROTC t-shirt... and in those early days of Husky Band, purple t-shirts seemed to be priceless. Couldn't have enough of them. :) I did climb to the top, and got the shirt. Anyway, I talked to the Captain, and she told me about my options for joining. Sgt. 1st Class Tetu took me on a tour soon afterwords of Clark, as I later saw many students doing later on in the year. Because I was so busy with band and 3 history classes, I thought it would be better to join starting in Winter.

But before Winter Quarter started, I got a hold of the Captain, met and filled out paperwork. I didn't know it was the same Cpt. I had met before, so it was good to see a familiar face already. I was very excited at the opportunity to do the military thing... for real.

The first day of class was thrilling... new faces, brand new type of class, with a big unknown about what it'd be like and what kind of challenges lay ahead. Some of the other MS-I's (military science - first year's) were very serious about it, and I thought that was exciting too. Some others were not, and I didn't understand them. We had former JROTC people, some people who were already in the Army, and others there for the heck of it... or just trying it on for size, like me.

Both the Winter and Spring quarter classes turned out to be pretty boring. But there were topics that definitely kept my interest... The Reserve Officer's Training Corps acronym for the core values is LDRSHIP (an acronym with an abbreviation): Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage. We would talk many times about these, and what they meant to us. Winter quarter we had to give a presentation about a leader in our life, and what aspects of the core values that person exhibited. I chose Mr. Brannman from Jr. High band, of course, and was very nervous giving it, even to a class of twenty or fewer students.

We also talked about military subjects: uniforms, chain of command, drill & ceremony, small-scale military tactics, map reading, compasses, radio operating procedures, the military alphabet, and weapons. The final project for Spring quarter was a group presentation. We were supposed to plan a field trip and give a brief (called an "operations order") about it. We did this, and again, even with just a small part of it to read, and even a smaller audience, I was nervous as can be. Since our field trip was a visit to the Fort Lewis Military Museum, I was able to recount previous experiences of my own there, and loosened up a bit. The MS-4 who critiqued us complimented me on this, and that really helped.

Wednesdays we were always in uniform throughout the day (in all our classes)... the old style, woodland green camouflage most days, and sometimes the Class A or B uniform, which was the forest green jacket and trousers with a light blue-green blouse (B is without the jacket). The university had it's own ROTC unit patch, a purple shield with four gold columns and the university's motto above them:
"LUX SIT", Latin for "let there be light" (roughly).

I really liked the uniform and equipment issue guy, Frank. He drove me down to Husky Stadium (when I was checking in before the quarter) and got me everything I needed. My tent half, my rucksack, my sleeping pad and bag, my duffle, along with the LCE (load carrying equipment... or in plain English, a web belt with canteens), my brand new boots and socks that I was able to keep after I quit, the PT uniform (t-shirts and shorts I kept, but the pants and windbreaker had to be returned), two sets of BDU's (battle dress uniform) with a cap and jacket, and finally the Class A's... with overcoat, shoes and accessories, including insignia. Our first quarter we had a BDU inspection. There was a prize of a Kiwi shoe polishing set for the best uniform. The only person to get their uniform dry cleaned and pressed automatically won. lol. I remember thinking that unfair, especially since she wasn't wearing her newly issued dog tags. Being able to wear the uniforms and get real issue dog tags was one of my favorite parts of the whole experience.

But since this first quarter I had such a strange schedule, I had to walk off campus on 15th Ave. to Fish Biology on south campus across Pacific Blvd. I felt a little awkward in liberal Seattle walking down the street in my camo. And not only that, but Wednesdays were super late. I stayed until 10pm when Concert Band at Meany Hall let out. Some days I stayed in uniform all the way through! Once I was waiting for band to start (at 7pm), reading my history book for my Junior Seminar class on the History of Peru at the base of the statue of George Washington, when a photographer from the Daily, the student newspaper, asked to take my picture with the setting sun in the background. It appeared on the bottom of the next day's front page, mentioning me by name and giving the weather forecast. Me in uniform, doing my homework. :)

In fact, Cadet Lindley took Early American History (HIST 301) with me Fall quarter. We sat together, and because she would wear her uniform on Wednesday, we got to talking about ROTC. She was one of the main reasons I did end up trying it out. She is the one who told me later on when I was struggling with the PT, that the only way to improve pushups was to do more pushups. Didn't like knowing that, because I couldn't do any.



PHYSICAL TRAINING...

Physical Training and Leadership Labs

In the winter, I was trying everything out... I went to almost every Physical Training (PT) session, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from 6:00-7:00. I had to wake up at 5am and catch the 257 from the Park & Ride in Kingsgate to make it on time (this made Wednesdays extremely long days... 5am to 10pm... no wonder I fell asleep in Political Theory class sometimes... lowest grade ever in that class - 2.7 - and I had to drop Fish Biology that quarter for my only drop as well).

I remember the first Wednesday night well... had to bring all my equipment home on the bus... ruck sack, duffle, backpack, as well as my French horn. lol! Got a couple strange looks.

My first PT day happened to be the initial PT test... full situps, pushups and a 2 mile run. And I got there late. Overslept on the bus ride and ended up in downtown Seattle instead of getting off at Montlake Blvd, and walking the 1/2 mile to the Dempsey Indoor Football Facility next to Husky Stadium. Ended up in Pioneer Square... and soon caught a returning bus, making it in time to participate. Only did 20+ sit-ups, no correct push-ups... lol... and I was a couple minutes behind on the run. Captain Pirak ran with me the last five laps, telling me to sprint the long straight parts. "you better not quit...", and I, red in the face and a little distraught, replied "I never quit, Ma'm." :) It was very painful, but in a good way, I suppose.

I was very out of shape. It was 10 and a half laps on that little track to make 2 miles. I think there was a PT test every four weeks (or once a month). They'd calculate our BMI, weight and test scores.

Every workout started in the Indoor Facility... we'd do stretches and exercises in formation (ten counts of everything... "IN-CADENCE... EXERCISE!"), then do a mass run for 30 minutes. Eeuuu, those were hard for me. Sometimes they were outside on the Burke Gilman trail, and at 6am in the winter, it was slightly icy. I remember the first run outside, before I was issued the official PT uniform, I wore black sweatpants and my grey university sweatshirt and I was envied by some of the other cadets in their uncomfortable windbreakers. :) I only made it to University Ave. before it was time to return. Later on, I almost made it to the I-5 underpass. Fifteen minutes out and fifteen minutes in.

My favorite thing about workouts was how I felt afterwords. I'd hike up the hill to main campus and have a grand breakfast at McHahon Hall, the main dorm building. Sometimes I'd go hang out at Hansee Hall (a little further up the street where my friends lived) and catch a quick nap.

Leadership Labs, or LLabs, were something of a mystery to me. We were learning how set up parameters and attack positions, I think. Usually these were held in Husky Stadium, but later on we moved to the grass fields on the other side of the parking lot from the stadium. We'd lay on the grass in the wet dew with our fake M-16s (either a plywood cut out painted black, or a "rubber duck" solid rubber model... they were a lot heavier, but looked real, and therefore were much cooler). I remember several times I'd get up from my position and find an outline of myself on the ground... a dry, warm spot in the surrounding cold wetness. The front of my uniform was not dry, however. :) When we were told to get up and charge a position, we'd run and yell "bang, bang, ba-ba-bang". This reminded me of playing army in the backyard as a kid, and I enjoyed it a bunch.

My first LLab I showed up in my newly acquired PT uniform, not knowing it was supposed to be in battle dress with LCE (load carrying equipment)... LOL. It was freezing cold out and we were supposed to lie down and stay still. Lindley gave me her BDU coat to wear; that was very nice of her. Peek was the squad leader, and may have gotten in trouble for my not knowing what was going on. Hope not.

Winter Quarter Land Navigation Exercise, Fort Lewis

I was very nervous for my first set of real maneuvers with the Army. We had an old school bus that took us the hour-and-a-half (or so) south on I-5 to the largest west-coast Army fort (built in 1917). I had been there before to visit the fine museum a few years before with my family. But this time we went in a back gate in the woods, rather than through a main gate.

We kept our rucksacks at our little camp in an open place. It was a little drizzly, so we covered them with our camo ponchos as we set off on our exercises. We were supposed to find markers in the forest by using coordinates on maps, angles and rulers. It was imperative to count every step to know how far you'd gone... and I was terrible with keeping count for that long. Good thing I was paired with others at first. MS-4 (senior cadet) Giaquinto helped Meyer, Manibusan and I on the first mission. We only got 2 out of 4 points... ran out of time. It's difficult, because if we turned from the angle on the compass needle a bit to go around a tree, we'd get off; if the angle isn't followed exactly, especially at first... you get the idea... way far off point.

Manibusan and I went out again after we'd returned and found 2 out of 4 again on a different assignment. I remember forgetting count a few times. But I know we also found one after getting off track... and that was exhilarating!

After this second evolution we returned and took a break to eat our MRE's and change our socks at the base camp. The final exercise was a night mission. Funny, our little group of three newbie females were to also escort the photographer/reporter from the Daily, the campus newspaper, doing a story on women in Army ROTC program. I thought that was ridiculous... there's no light for pictures at night... or for plotting the points on the map! We only found 1 out of 3 points, and the only reason we found it was because Manibusan and I had found it on the previous run.

I was exhausted on the ride home; maybe even a little grumpy, damp and cold. And it didn't help when Lindley started talking about why she joined for the money for college and that how they'll probably have to go kill people in Iraq... well I didn't feel so much like joining then. But this was only the beginning of the experience... there was a lot more time for thought about that.

When we got back to Clark Hall on campus they made us stand around for a half hour while mom was waiting for me in the car nearby... and I had no idea why. Lots of fun.

Winter Quarter Field Training Exercise, Fort Lewis

This was the most fun of my short career in the US Army.

Another bus ride to Fort Lewis, except this time we first went to Keeler Pool, the base water-sports facility for water survival training.

1. we had to swim half the 25 meter length pool in BDU's and tennis shoes (it would have been unnecessary to wet our boots we had to wear the rest of the day). Very hard to swim in heavy clothes... I was wearing the heavy winter version as well, making it harder.

2. we were pushed in with a rubber duck M-16 and wearing an LCE; had to swim the other half without dropping the 20lb rifle, holding it above the water, doing sidestroke.

3. pushed in again, but had to drop the LCE while under water and then hold the rifle.

4. walked off a 10 foot tower blindfolded (a watch-cap pulled down over the face) with an LCE on, holding a rifle outstretched with elbows locked (so it wouldn't hit your face with hitting the water). I ripped the blindfold off quite fast, held onto my rifle and greatly desired air on my way up to the surface. :) Lifeguards were waiting in the water just in case.

5. lastly, we learned how to inflate a pair of pants and use them as a float.

This was the first thing I did well... passed all the events and felt very good about myself. My platoon, 1st platoon, went first, so we had more time to clean up afterwords, which I loved. I was warned beforehand to wear a swimsuit underneath, and that was nice.

The other half of the FTX was a 5-point land navigation. This time I went solo... which excited me. Only I could keep myself from getting lost. :) I ended up finding 5 points! One wasn't on my plan, so technically only 4... but given my track record of less than 50% last time, it was pretty good. I did have to restart on a few points, but not too bad. As I found my fifth point, I looked on a glorious scene... I was on top of a small hill, surrounded and covered by tall trees; sunshine fell through them, showering the fern-covered forest floor with golden beams. I praised the Lord for the unexpected gift of beauty.

I was ready to join... sunshine, accomplishments... but on the walk back to camp, Master Sargent Henderson drove by in the van and asked how I was doing. I proudly stated I had all five... and he responded that I should be running in if I was done. I was shot down, but not too badly. I started jogging... maybe the army wasn't for me. :) Sargent First Class Tetu, my instructor, was pleasantly surprised with my accomplishment and told me so when I got back.

Overall, a very fun day.

Transition

The class project for Winter Quarter, Military Science 102, was a presentation on "A Leader in Your Life". Of course I talked about Mr. Brannman, but I insisted on not using that stupid new "power-point"... only using the overhead projector... lol. I don't remember it going very well, as with all the other times I gave presentations in college... I was horribly nervous and it didn't feel like a very good way to end the quarter.

But I wasn't too worried about making a decision about signing a contract yet. Captain Pirak said it would be fine to take the next quarter without deciding.

Spring Quarter PT and Ruck Marches

I didn't go to all three workouts a week in the spring; the previous quarter had taken a toll on me, especially on my study time. I went some Wednesdays... once there was rope climbing at the fitness center (wow, I really didn't have the arm strength for that), and I did go to a couple PT tests, one inside and the other in Husky Stadium. That last time, MS-4 (and cadet commander) Ms. Metish ran with me for the last couple laps (after she had finished her run!). I think SFC Tetu ran with me earlier on the same run. I must have been horribly slow. :)

I did go every Friday though; there were ruck marches in Husky Stadium. I'd have to carry mine from the E-1 parking lot... at least a 1/2 mile away. I had 15lbs in mine, although some of the cadets were carrying 45lbs by the end of the quarter! Yikes! We split up in battalions and switched from either marching around the track or walking up and down the steps of the lower stadium individually on aisles. It was really hard on the legs and back. After all this madness, we'd come together on the field for push-ups and other core and upper-body exercises. And all in an hour!

Later on in the year we did a couple road marches. Starting in the field next to the baseball stadium, we gathered, got accountability, and lined up to march. Crossed the creek over the bridge and marched around the nature trail and wetlands. It was so beautiful in the early morning with the sunrises. But it was very hard. I remember thinking at one point, "When we get to that point, up ahead, I'll drop out." But I didn't. On a later march, I did fall behind with another girl. MS-4 Ms. Rother stayed with us and commented that she didn't like how things were run. They used to make slow people march in the front and leave no one behind. I don't think I was too saddened by this news. :) I was glad when I turned in that stupid ruck sack at the end of it all. :)

Every summer the MS-3's (third year students) go to camp at Fort Lewis for a couple weeks. It's called "Warrior Forge"; everything we did seemed to be in preparation for it. It's the big step before becoming a senior cadet. They are the ones who lead the MS-3's and evaluate their leadership skills. I never got close to that though... I only did these two quarters as a first year.

One of the biggest disappointments was my missing the BRM (basic rifle marksmanship). It was the same day as a family friend's wedding, and I made the very hard decision to go there instead.

I also skipped the Spring Land Nav... busy with school, and I was starting to feel that this all wasn't for me. The Spring FTX fortified this in my mind.

Spring Field Training Exercise, Fort Lewis

Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

We took off from Clark Hall early in the morning. It was crazy; everyone was packing their ruck in the lounge; there was so much olive green. I put "100 mile-an-hour" tape (military duct tape) on all my bags and wrote my name on each one. Hard to decide how to pack the ruck, deciding what I'd need first. Had to get everything in, including two MRE's. Sat down next to Sgt. Ruthann Morgan, an MS-3 and my "battle buddy" for the entire weekend. She let me use her face-paint kit after she was done using it... we helped each other put it on. She gave me pointers; it was oily and slimy, and fun after I got over my make-up complex. lol

It's too bad I didn't take a camera along... other people had them though. This is one of the only ones of me "in the field". Thank goodness for Facebook... that's where I got all of these.

I soon fell asleep for rest of the ride, waking up as we neared the Fort's back entrance. Disoriented and confused... I had forgotten where I was and what I was doing.

We piled out of the bus into an open place near a heavily forested area. Lots of people were grumpy; Eric Timm was the CSM (probably Cadet Sargent Major), and I think Lindley was the platoon leader. They were arguing and yelling at each other about where everyone should go and what they should do. I remember it made me sour about everything from the get go.

Soon we were issued helmets, rifles and cartridges (blanks). I was disappointed my helmet didn't have a camo cover, but getting to hold a real M-16 soon overtook my thoughts. Cadet Baggot, an MS-3, showed us MS-1's an unorthodox way to use the strap on the rifle for easier access... but he was told that it was against regs. He had put it on top of the rifle, instead of on the bottom, where it goes. That all done, we were allowed to set up our tents with our buddies. Cute little pup-tents left over from WWII; just big enough for two people, two rucks, and two rifles. :) MS-3 Morgan told me to sleep with my rifle, since in the past MS-4's would try and steal them from cadets in the night. I didn't hear of it happening this year though.

The tents came in halves... each person brought their half and half the pole pieces. Most of our rucks were taken up with the GI sleeping bag... and a very thin pad was rolled and put on top of the ruck when we marched with them. During class the previous week, we'd practiced putting up the tents, so they all went up in a jiffy. Our bivovac (or tenting area) was very close to a couple strange mounds. Cadet Lindley called our attention to them and told us they were the homes of a protected species of fire ants... and that they'd leave us alone if we did the same to them. It freaked me out a little. I hoped the name had to do with their red color, and not with how much a thousand little bites would hurt. :(

Just after this, those who hadn't gone to the BRM were taken aside for a short rifle safety course. I think it was Ms. Rother who kept on emphasizing how to clear a jammed bullet, and we did it several times. This confused me, however, because I thought this was supposed to be done each time before firing. We were issued enough for 20 rounds for each of our 4 clips that we loaded ourselves.

Then it was lunch. Broke out an MRE and ate. They gave us 2-3 for each day, but not enough time to sit and eat them. I had 5 or 6 left over when we got back.

But as for sitting around, we did lots of that with rifles... sitting in the grass in a parameter, "pulling security". And that's how we spent the rest of the first day. They were training the MS-3's to be able to march us from one point to another with security along the route, and it took a long time. I was lying alongside tall, wet grass, and not understanding anything that was going on. It was for something we were doing the next night... in the dark.

When it got dark this first night, the Commanding Cadet, MS-4 Metish held an informational meeting by the campfire. For the remainder of the exercise, we would have to act as if we were in a battle zone, or enemy infested area. We were to go everywhere with our rifle and our battle buddy... even if it was to the port-a-potty.

That night Morgan and I chatted a bit before falling asleep. Mostly about why we were doing this. She had run away from home and joined a few years ago... she was a sargent, and now getting her degree. I realized after she fell asleep that I needed to use the potty... but I didn't wake her up. One of the guys by the campfire escorted me the 20 or so yards to it. So silly!

Saturday, the next day, was taken up with a series of small exercises. On the first one I was clueless. We had to find a bunker, send someone with a satchel charge to clear it out and then empty a clip of ammo into it. It was a joint squad mission, and my squad must have been off to the side. We just lent supporting fire. Our next one was more out in the open.

We had to march from one to the other with our 10lb rifle at the ready. My arms got quite tired of holding it. The next position was a clump of trees that only our squad attacked across an open field. It was more fun because we could run and drop and do low crawl and cool things like that. It was easy to understand the target, and I helped spearhead the attack. Peek was in charge this time. An MS-4 would evaluate the squad and the leader, and I don't think anyone ever liked what we did.

I didn't think I'd ever be able to know all the things the MS-3's had to know. Especially coming up with a plan of attack and defending it to a senior. A lot of our MS-3's were having trouble.

There were 4 or 5 more small exercises after that. During one I was left in the middle of nowhere with 2 other people to hold a spot for a half-hour, while the rest of them went on. I did pull out my tactically-colored Gideon pocket New Testament from my LCE while we waited.

On the last one, Baggot was in charge and SFC Tetu was observing. We were navigating a long course of mixed terrain. Near the end I was providing rear guard to the squad and an Air Force cadet, dressed in black, suddenly jumped out, came at me from my left and "killed" me, according to SFC Tetu; the rest of the squad was engaged. As I lay on the grass, looking up at the sky, I thought about the possible reality of this situation in the future, and if I really wanted to risk it all (including my family's happiness) for something I was just dressing up for and playing at. It seemed like forever, but soon the rest came back and called in a fictional helicopter for support. Baggot picked me up to carry me to it... :)

The next exercise was another joint squad, massive operation that I didn't understand. MS-2 Manibusan was in charge of the squad now... a quick advancement. She told me to lay down amongst a bunch of fire ants, scurrying around. I balked because of them, tried to just kneel, like I saw Morgan doing across the parameter, but Manibusan insisted. I did, but unfortunately, an observing officer, a Major, happened to notice. After the maneuver, he chewed out the whole group (thankfully without mentioning my name) because of what he heard me say and do. I also saw him chewing out Morgan later, and I'm sure it's because I pointed her out. I was mortified at the time, but on reflection, I hope it helped them become better soldiers. Not a big deal, and I learned a lot from the experience without any serious side effects.

Back at the camp we packed up our tents and got ready for our night march. We started out in the light, but is soon faded into the blackest black. It seemed we were wandering without hope of ever arriving anywhere. At one point we were told to all sit down on the stony path until they figured out where we were going. And once in a while they stopped us to make sure they had everyone; thankfully, I was behind and in front of someone else all the time. Amazingly, we did end up finding our place. We camped on a gravel road that went up a small hill. There were large fir trees surrounding us with an opening to the gorgeous night sky. Even though my pad was thin and lying on a bed of gravel, I don't think I've even enjoyed a night more than that one.

Meyer, Manibusan, Morgan and I were bedded down in a row. Each squad was supposed to have someone on watch all night, since we were deep in enemy territory. Meyer fell asleep on hers though, so no one ever woke me for my turn. If that night was my favorite experience, Sunday morning was definitely the worst.

We found out they were going to wake us earlier, but because of the late arrival, they postponed the artillery attack a little. I am serious... that is what happened. It was kind-of fun, in retrospect, that we were woken that way, but at the moment people were screaming at us to pack fast and keep our heads down. In a real artillery barrage I wouldn't care two figs about stowing sleeping bags. :) But we did. And then we lay in a parameter on the icy-cold gravel facing into the forest, lying in the shade for THREE and a HALF HOURS. People said an infantry attack was coming, so we needed to keep on our guard, scanning the forest for movement. And there was to be no talking. I lost feeling in both my feet.

When they finally decided on what to do, they yelled for everyone to hustle out of there. When I finally got my ruck on and managed to stand up, I started to run with numb feet. I've never felt so awkward.

This was the final exercise of the FTX. It was a joint attack of the entire cadre of Army cadets on participating Air Force cadets. I only saw a small portion of the actual fight. We set off on a long march through the tangled forest. A few minutes into it I started feeling light-headed. I hadn't eaten yet or drank much water. I had 5 MRE's in my ruck, along with everything else, and I couldn't figure out how to drink and keep up with the march at the same time. It seemed like every branch reached out and grabbed me.

Suddenly we stopped for some reason (someone sprained their ankle), and SFC Tetu noticed I looked unwell. He made me sit, drink and eat, and asked an MS-4 to take my ruck for me. This helped immensely. We continued the march and broke into teams in order to take out the Air Force. My squad started out into the open around the base of a very large tree. We had to low crawl, and there were fire ants. I had no wish to repeat the previous embarrassment, so I got down without hesitation. The extent of the battle for me was a lot of running and heart-pounding. It was a huge, open field of brown grass with Mount Rainier looming over the treeline. I don't think I shot anyone, specifically, but I had learned by this time about my first mistake with the lesson we had. Afterwords, we lined up in column and marched on the road back to camp. I decided I could take my ruck again, and I made it just fine with a bit of huffing and puffing.

We loaded onto the buses, waited, then had to get off again because someone had left some trash somewhere for senior cadre to pick up. So we did punishment pushups together (I'm sorry to say, grudgingly on my part) and then got back on the bus. Military teamwork without condition hadn't quite found a place in my heart yet. It didn't seem fair to my civilian, independent self.

Our drive was very short, however. We went to the near-by Army Reserve facility who we had borrowed the rifles from. We had to dismantle and clean our weapons until they were sparkling... the reservists themselves didn't keep them in much good condition to start, and the MS-4's weren't going to let us do anything less than a perfect job to give a good account for ourselves.

It took us 2-3 hours to appease our seniors. On my third try, after at least an hour and a half of detail scrubbing in the smallest parts of the rifle, I cried after they told me it wasn't good enough. I was stumbling tired and unsure what else I could do. But I did more. And I finally got it done.

One thing was for sure: this was no place for me. My body and spirit couldn't take that kind of treatment at that point in my life, even if I somehow passed the tests and got past taking every criticism personally. No, not for me. That was going to be it.

Miltary Science 103, and Other Events

When we were back on campus from the FTX, I shared my decision with an MS-3 before Mom came to pick me up. She was disappointed I quit because of my hardships, but encouraged that someone actually joined the program from the silly Climbing Wall thing they do every Fall quarter.

Most of the class time in the Spring was dedicated to preparing and presenting a complete Operations Order. My group decided on planning a recreational trip to Fort Lewis for all the MS-1's. Somehow I got it into my head that it was something we were actually going to do. Too bad... it would have been quite fun. Laser Tag, or Paintball and a trip to the Military Museum were among the events we focused on. It was a very good lesson on military detail... so much information went into the thing. And during the actual presentation, most of us just read through the details as if it were a laundry list. When I came to the part I actually cared about, I threw in my story about visiting the museum in 1996 with my family, and the MS-4 who evaluated us really only liked points like that. :)

Besides the FTX, the other major event of Spring quarter was the Joint Service Review in observance of Memorial Day. Senior Air Force Cadet William Carter, also a member of Husky Band, was in charge of providing live music at the review. I joined his little ensemble of Navy and Air Force cadets as the first member from the Army in years. Will arranged the music, which was a salute to all the armed forces, for the 2 trumpets, 2 saxes, 1 flute, 1 clarinet, and then of course me. I tried it out with French horn first, but I soon switched to Mellophone, as it was a lot easier to hold while standing up, like we were going to be. We had regular rehearsals for about a month or so in the Air Force's area of Clark Hall.

I was bubbling with excitement the day of the review. Had to get there early in the morning for a rehearsal of where we'd all stand. There were going to be high-ranking officers present to give speeches to all the cadets. The Air Force and Navy had rifle drill teams perform, and I know our little band would enhance the whole experience. And I remember giving my first salute to an officer coming out of Clark Hall that morning. In the hours between practice and performance I went around campus and took a set of pictures with the beautiful May sunshine all around.

I much enjoyed getting into Class A's and even more, performing for that large crowd. The ceremony was very long, indeed, and oh, how my feet hurt! But it was fun! We played at the beginning and at the end. Most cadets stood in formations at Parade Rest... I had a better job! (Class B's to the left... Class A's below)

It wasn't the first time I was amongst the student body in uniform. In Winter quarter, we practiced marching around campus sometimes. I remember the first time pretty well... we were lined up in a row like ducklings and marched, responding to commands from a classmate. And of course, on Wednesdays we'd be in uniform all day... in classes and out of them. Once in the spring we had a mini land navigation exercise on Denny Field; because it was land nav, I wore my LCE with my BDU's, which was uniform of the day. When I showed up in the Clark Hall lounge, everyone spoke as if I didn't know that we don't wear LCE's to class. However, SFC Tetu told me after we were done that he thought my attitude was "high speed"... Army lingo for very good... and that he thought I'd make a good soldier, or whatever I ended up doing. He was such a nice guy. He handed out GI issue flag patches as prizes. :)

Another benefit of being in ROTC was the use of the student computer lab, near the lounge. We had free printing rights... and that itself was a wonderful thing. They had little snacks for sale and a microwave. I spent many afternoons, especially on Wednesdays, in this little room.

And there was a little Drill & Ceremony demonstration near the end of the quarter. He used me to show the rest of the class a proper salute. In anticipation of the JSR, we had a drill practice outside... I remember he corrected my overstepped about-face.

On the topic of D & C... on occasion I would offer to be the Army cadet to take down the Army flag at colors. Other people were loath to do it sometimes, and I never could understand that. It was an official ceremony we did every day... Cadets from all the branches would gather out front, march in cadence to the nearby flag pole and haul down all the flags. I love the ceremonial part of the military; I suppose that's because I love history and tradition.

There was a car wash fundraiser that we had at the local Burgermaster restaurant in University Village, in order to finance the end of the year Dining Out on the Argosy Cruise. The cruise itself was a lot of fun. Lots of odd traditions... riddles, jokes, drinking from the "grog". But the dinner was fantastic... steak and salmon with asparagus; and the view wasn't bad either... a great sunset over the Olympic mountains while we cruised around Puget Sound.

As the year wound down, there were fun little things too. Played softball with everyone once... and made an outstanding fielding play at second base that wowed everyone. They didn't know I used to play and had only to recall my long-practiced skills. :)

There was also an end of the year BBQ on Denny lawn. Basketball, food, hang-out time. By that time I had already delivered a letter to Captain Lisa Pirak and Sargent First Class Robert Tetu:

___"I want to thank you for all the time and effort you’ve put into my experience in the Army ROTC program. I have enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the army, a little bit of the history and drill and ceremony. After very careful consideration over these last two quarters, I’ve decided not to contract. I do not feel that I have the level of dedication necessary. It takes a lot of heart to stay committed, as you of course know, and my heart is not in it; I know now that it is not for me.
___I do not regret a single second that I have spent doing PT’s, FTX’s, LLAB’s and classes, not to mention hanging out in the lounge making friends with many of the cadets. This was a great experience for me and I am very happy that I tried it out. Now, instead of just wondering about what military service really is, I know and have a deep respect for what you do. Thank you for your commitment to the country and to the Army, but also to the cadets at the University of Washington. Sincerely, Jennifer Payne"
In the end of my journal from 2006 or so, I write: "I think I had the time of my life in ROTC. Roughing it, with a little camping on the rocks." Oh, dear. :) Glad I recorded what I did though. It's been fun remembering it now, six years later.

Anyway, it was thanks to my teachers; it was enjoyable and rather singular.