ROTC enlistment remains steady

By Joe Caponio

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

University officials said that the number of students enrolling in the Army ROTC program has not changed since President Bush’s implementation of a major troop deployment to Iraq.

Maj. Gary Farley, assistant professor of military science and operations officer in the Army ROTC program, said that other than a spike shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the number of students who joined the program has remained fairly steady since then.

15 students graduated from the Army ROTC program in both 2006 and 2007, and program officials expect that number to increase to 18 in 2008.

“We haven’t seen much change at all,” Maj. Farley said.

In his January State of the Union address, President Bush announced his intention to send an additional 21,000 troops to Iraq. According to the Congressional Budget Office, that number could eventually grow to 48,000, raising the total number of U.S. troops in Iraq to more than 180,000.

Maj. Farley said that part of the reason students aren’t being discouraged by the push to send more troops to Iraq is that the students are still months away from facing the possibility of deployment.

“I don’t think that what’s going on over there has a great impact on a student who is set on joining,” Maj. Farley said.

The completion of the ROTC program is just the first of three phases that each cadet must complete. While in the ROTC program, the cadets are taught military values, problem solving skills and ethics through various activities.

Following graduation from the University, the cadet is sent to a four-week training session at either Fort Sill, Okla., or Fort Benning, Ga. where they learn basic tactical leadership skills.

The third and final phase for cadets is officer basic training. This is a three-to-six month program where the soldiers learn the specialized skills needed for their specific branches and jobs.

Matt Fortier, Overland Park, Mo., senior, said that becoming an officer in the U.S. Army is something he has wanted to do since childhood.

“Our disposition in Iraq does not act in any way as a deterrent to my enrollment in ROTC,” he said.

Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Talbert, a recruiter at the Lawrence Army National Guard Recruiting Center, 2223 Louisiana St., said that much like the ROTC program on campus, the recruiting center hasn’t seen any drop off in enlistments since the announcement of the troop surge.

“It’s not just about Iraq, it’s about wanting to be a soldier and taking advantage of the benefits that the service offers.” Sgt. 1st class Talbert said, “People who join up do it to protect the freedoms of their country and their kids and their grandkids. That doesn’t change, regardless of what conflicts are going on.”

— Edited by Ben Smith

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