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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
7/31/2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES -A Northwestern State University ROTC cadet, a university professor and a colleague in Student Support Services attended the U.S. Army Leader's Training Course. Cadet Danielle Champagne of Houma completed the training, while Dr. Charles Pellegrine, assistant professor of history and military science, and Don Barker, director of Student Support Services, attended as observers to the physical and mental tests put to aspiring Army officers.
The Leader's Training Course is the Army's 2-year ROTC Program entry point. Through the Leader's Training Course, students without ROTC Basic Course experience can examine the Army without incurring an obligation, and qualify for Advanced Course entry. The Army observes these students and determines their officer potential in a leadership oriented, challenging, and motivating 5-week training program at Fort Knox, Ky.
Champagne earned the ROTC MS 3. The LTC is a prerequisite to the Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC), conducted at Fort Lewis, Wash., which provides training and evaluation for cadets' officer potential. The cadets must pass the course, as well as complete academic requirements. Champagne's next year of training will be geared towards the LDAC.
For Pellegrin, the experience provided depth and understanding into the machinations of Army training. For Barker, LTC was a chance to investigate the military experience and apply the knowledge in helping direct the career paths of some of the students he counsels.
"The Leader's Training Course is a tryout for the military, on mental and physical activities. They have a ropes course, swimming, rappelling and other survival skill tests," Pellegrin explained. "We, the faculty, were invited to observe the team building and leadership exercises. It was interesting to observe the Army in action and the officers leading the cadets. There was good interaction. Some of the officers leading the cadets had just completed their own LTC training two years prior."
Pellegrin will be teaching military history classes at NSU. Earlier this year, he was one of 20 American and international scholars chosen to attend the West Point Summer Seminar at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.
Pellegrin said the 80 faculty observers visited the cadet barracks, ate two MREs during the week-long course and observed a war game reenactment. He was impressed with the water training, the formality of the military banquet and traditions and the cadet safety monitoring. His observations have provided a sense of understanding of the cadet experience.
"When I have cadets in my classroom, I will know what they have been through and will go through. I understand what they are about to experience a little better," he said.
Barker's intense interest in the military spurred his desire to attend the LTC and successfully complete three swim challenges and one team field challenge.
"I have never been in the military and I wanted to learn more about how ROTC students train for military life," Barker explained. "It was a great learning experience. It was challenging and a little scary, but very safe. The soldiers are learning to exhibit courage; courage not being the absence of fear, but of facing their fears to accomplish a task."
For Champagne, the personal challenge was facing her fear of heights by completing the rappelling tower, the Alpine tower and the rock wall courses.
"I didn't whine, I just did it," she said. The courses were same for both men and women cadets. Males far outnumbered females and Champagne said the women had to prove themselves not to the officers, but to their fellow cadets.
"The only way to prove yourself is to get out there and do better than they do," she said. Champagne made many friends and learned valuable lessons in teamwork. "The most challenging part was having to work as a team. A lot of people did not want to be there but once they came together as a team, we learned from each other. It was fun. I'm glad I did it."
Barker said that the military staff at Fort Knox was straightforward in exposing the cadets to the benefits of becoming an officer and the physical and mental stress it entails. In his work in Student Support Services, a department that provides support and tutoring for first generation low-income students, Barker will be able to provide insight about the military to students weighing career options.
"For some students not all students the military is a legitimate career option," Barker said. "If I'm working with an ROTC student or a student who wants to talk about a career path, I will be able to talk with students more knowledgably about ROTC and the Army in general."