By Nate West
News Editor
Seven cadets in the St. Bonaventure Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) have been accepted into the Cultural Understanding and Language Program (CULP) and will travel abroad this summer to strengthen their skills as ROTC cadets and students.
Cadets Jessica Manahan and Mackenzie Grubbs will be going to Jordan, Nicholas Puntillo to Thailand, Gregory Johnson to Indonesia, Edward Caraccioli to France, Christian Quetell to South Korea and Kyle Gaskill to China, according to Lt. Col. Michael Bianchi, professor of military science. Going with them will be two students from Houghton College, another school in the Seneca Battalion.
“It’s important because we want our cadets, future Lieutenants and leaders in the Army, to have immersion overseas and in different cultures,” Bianchi said. “We want them to be comfortable being in foreign countries and working with foreign nationals, so there are many reasons we provide CULP as a training opportunity for cadets. The United States Army places a heavy emphasis on cross-cultural experience for its future leaders.”
In order to be eligible, the cadets must be contracted, which typically happens in their sophomore year. Freshman and juniors are eligible, but have additional summer leadership training which is required and could potentially conflict, Bianchi said.
There are four training mission categories in CULP which accepted cadets can do: The Cadet English Language Training Teams, Military Exercise Support, Humanitarian Assistance and U.S. State Department Support, according to the CULP information sheet.
Quetell, a sophomore history major, is looking forward to his trip, he said.
“I’m excited to be in a new, different culture that I’m not familiar with,” he said. “In all honesty, though, I’m really looking forward to the food.”
During his 23-day stay in South Korea, he’ll be meeting with Republic of Korea Army (ROK) Cadets, traveling around the country, learning the history of Korean culture and will possibly meet a typical Korean family, he said.
After graduation, every cadet will serve as an officer in the U.S. Army and could serve a long and short tour (four years and two years, respectively). Quetell said he would like to do a short tour in Korea like his father.
Quetell said he plans to join Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) after graduation, go to law school and become a military lawyer in Washington, D.C. He said the experience he’ll receive in Korea over the summer will be beneficial to him in his future endeavors and provide him with valuable experience.
Johnson, a sophomore international studies major and member of the men’s rugby team, said he’s looking forward to observing Indonesian culture.
“I want to see how they act compared to what our daily lives are like,” he said. “I would imagine they probably spend a lot more time outside than we do.”
Johnson plans to go on active duty after graduation and from there into either infantry or a cavalry unit. This experience will help him develop an open mind to other cultures and experience in dealing with people from other parts of the world, he said.
All seven students who applied from St. Bonaventure ROTC were accepted which is a testament not only to the ability of the cadets, but also of the cadre, Bianchi said.
“It demonstrates that St. Bonaventure cadets are competitive,” he said. “That they’re doing well across the board as you compare them to their peers in other programs. It speaks highly of them as students, cadets and future leaders. Additionally, it is a clear indication of the quality training and mentorship provided by our cadre. Lastly, it provides insight to the hard work and professionalism of the cadets in the ROTC program.”
One cadet, Gaskill, will be a member of Project Global Officer (Project GO). Project GO is a grant scholarship available to ROTC students across the country, Gaskill said.
Gaskill, a sophomore international studies major and member of the men’s soccer team, studied Chinese in North Carolina over the summer and is currently studying it on campus. He believes his time in China will help him become a more valuable asset to what he hopes to do with his career in the Army.
“I want to go into the branch of military intelligence,” Gaskill said. “I will be taking intense courses that are going to help me learn Chinese more efficiently. I believe that studying in China and studying Chinese will make me more valuable to the U.S. army and government.”
CULP’s summer overseas missions provide training, culture and language immersion, leadership for the purpose of building confidence and competence and help prevent culture shock, according to the CULP fact sheet.
Cadets in CULP will have all their expenses covered and receive a stipend for their time overseas. Additionally, cadets who are studying critical languages can be paid a maximum of $3,000, Bianchi said. They can also receive academic credit based on satisfactory course completion or transcript with a letter grade of ‘B’ or better.
This overseas training will not only benefit the cadets personally, but their combined experience will benefit the entire St. Bonaventure ROTC program, Bianchi said.
“Their time spent immersed in different cultures around the world will provide our program with an improved and culturally aware cohort of students. Better trained and prepared to lead U.S. Army soldiers here in the United States and around the world,” Bianchi said.
“When they return to St. Bonaventure as juniors, they will share their time abroad with not only freshmen and sophomore cadets but equally important with their peers and other students here on campus,” he said. “They’ll return with real world and hands on experience not only to our department, but also to their own academic department. CULP is an incredible opportunity and enriches not only the ROTC program but all the students and faculty at St. Bonaventure.”
