ROTC
Mar 9 2011
AROTC Day in the Life
Posted in: Life & Culture
Hi, I am Cadet O'Brien. I am a Junior at MIT majoring in course 3 (Materials Science and Engineering) and an MSIII cadet in the Army ROTC program here at MIT. AROTC allows you to be pretty flexible in how involved you are in the program. You can do the minimum 3 times per week PT (physical training), one military class, and one leadership lab. But I'm not here to talk about minimum requirements. I like being as involved as possible, and I want to show you how awesome that can be.
Once a semester we go on FTX’s (Field Training Exercises). These are 3 day long ventures out into the field where we sleep under the stars at night (or under the rain) and during the day we practice our tactics. We are broken into squads of around 9 with people from other ROTC programs like Northeastern and BU who we have never met before, and set off with everything we brought with us (our sleeping bag, extra boots, dry socks, food, etc.) packed on our back.
Suddenly, there’s a mission. There’s an enemy... read the post »
May 3 2010
Who’s that girl in uniform?
Posted in: Life & Culture
C/3C Rachel Williams ‘12
My name is Rachel Williams, and I work hard. People on campus might know me as Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors or as “TA number 2” (the one with music on Fridays). Some of you prefrosh might know me if you went on a campus tour and remember Rachel. I was the one who made you promise not to let her fall down the stairs (since it actually is possible to be a complete klutz and a varsity fencer). However, I’m probably best remembered as that girl in uniform every Tuesday, Cadet (Rachel) Williams.
I’m an MIT student first (yeah course 16!), but being an AFROTC cadet comes in a close second in my life, because out of everything I do, it means the most to my future. I want to be a fighter pilot in the US Air Force, hopefully going on to be an astronaut on the next generation of space vehicles. As much as I love grading problem sets for 8.02 (I <3 TEAL), it is ROTC that will give me the power to make my dreams come true. This year is especially important because this summer I will be attending something called Field Training for a month at Maxwell AFB.
What is Field Training? Well, it’s a program that all potential Air Force officers must go through before they can... read the post »
Nov 4 2009
AFROTC = stress, and why that’s okay
Posted in: Academics & Research
C/4C Claire Nieman '13
On Sunday, 25 October, the cadets of MIT's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 365, including myself, traveled over to Hanscom Air Force Base (about a 30 minute drive) for the fall semester's FLX, or Field Leadership Exercise. Over the past five weeks, we had been learning skills to help us in this exercise. From low crawling to how to challenge intruders, we had to know it all so that the FLX could test our leadership and problem-solving abilities.
But first, let me start with a little background. The question I get asked most often about AFROTC is "but what do you do every week?" Cadets in Det 365 have 1-2 hours of class every week, where we learn about the Air Force and its history, customs, and practices. Every year the focus shifts a little bit, focusing first towards Field Training between sophomore and junior year, and after that towards working and living as an Air Force officer. As a freshman, I'm in AS.100, and right now... read the post »
Sep 4 2008
Ops Air Force
Posted in: Academics & Research
[by C/4C Adam Fuhrmann '11]
Every Air Force ROTC cadet has the opportunity to attend a 3 week base visit called "Ops Air Force" during the summer after their freshman year. This program is a Professional Development Training (PDT) program designed to give cadets a better view of Air Force life so that they will become better officers in the future.
I spent my summer PDT at Dyess AFB in Abilene, TX. Dyess is home to the 7th Bomb Wing with a fleet of B-1B bombers as well as the 317th Airlift group comprised of C-130s. Thirteen other cadets on the visit and I were split up among the different groups throughout the base and shifted around to different squadrons to get a broad view of base operations. I was lucky enough to be assigned to the B-1B Maintenance Group. I was able to get down and dirty in some jets and really get to know the enlisted side of the Air Force which keeps our planes airborne. During my three weeks I had some amazing experiences that few of my friends could ever... read the post »
Apr 24 2008
CHICON 2008
Posted in: Life & Culture
[by C/4C Adam Fuhrmann '11, C/4C Patrick Ernst '11, and C/4C Daniel Darlington '11]
This year, during spring break, Detachment 365 cadets Darlington, Ernst and Fuhrmann traversed the nation to a gathering of exceptional cadets from the Arnold Air Society (AAS). This event, known as the National Conclave (NATCON), was hosted in Chicago, IL this year and was dubbed CHICON. During the weekend these three intrepid cadets attended many AAS business sessions in order to pass resolutions and make decisions on behalf of the society.
During these sessions we had discussions with AFOATS Commander Major General Alfred K. Flowers as well as AFROTC Commander Colonel William R. Kunzweiler. We also witnessed a fantastic demonstration of the Air Force Drill Team, Hooahh! The Air Force Association hosted a luncheon for the cadets where we heard an incredible war story from a Vietnam Veteran Air Force pilot, and we watched our own Cadet Castonia receive the Northeast Region Outstanding Cadet of the... read the post »