By Brandon Chin
Contributing Writer
Most high school seniors enroll into college, but far less enlist into the United States Army, said ROTC members.
The Adopt a 10th Mountain Platoon Program is a fundraiser event that has been occurring at Bonaventure since Nov. 13. It was hosted in collaboration with the Olean Lions Club to collect essential and comfort items for deployed platoons of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division who were deployed to Afghanistan.
According to Washington Post reporter Jenna Johnson, “The number of college students in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) has grown 50 percent since the 2005-06 school year, with the Army outpacing its goals for minting new officers…”
The growth of ROTC programs across various campuses indicates a stronger military influence in college culture and the appearance of related programs as a result.
Relief programs such as the Adopt a 10th Mountain Platoon Program for deployed soldiers have resurged in terms of both participation and popularity, said ROTC members.
The Adopt a 10th Mountain Platoon Program has been going on since 1992 to comfort the soldiers and families of the 10th Mountain Division Light Infantry.
Centered in Fort Drum, New York, each platoon consists of 10 to 40 soldiers of all positions. The goal of the Adopt a Platoon Programs is to ensure that soldiers have a “sponsor,” a group, affiliation or collection of individuals to comfort and assist them in their day-to-day lives.
“Getting care packages were always welcome and a great morale booster when I was in Afghanistan,” said Jared Kausner, a captain in the New York Army National Guard and Enrollment Officer for the Military Science Department. “It definitely reinforced that people supported and cared about what I was doing over there.”
Light infantry platoons are described as the “point of the bayonet,” with the youngest men and women in America’s All Volunteer Army. The advertisements and flyers simply communicate in boldfaced letters, “ITEMS NEEDED.” While some items’ importance is obvious, some donation’s necessities go unnoticed.
According to the Association of the United States Army website, items received besides the commonplace goods include “news clippings or old magazines once a month, or video tapes of football games or the TV programs the platoon members were interested in, or games, or cookies, or even just an American flag.”
In addition, sponsors sent disposable cameras, and platoon leaders sent back photos to the sponsors of the members doing daily activities.
Soldiers spend a lot of time alone, so even the simplest gift brings them comfort, said ROTC members.
“Soldiers in Afghanistan operate in remote areas and may not always have access to the basic essentials,” said Rick Trietley, vice president of student affairs. “On top of that soldiers are away from their loved ones and friends and are often under great periods of stress. When soldiers receive a care package with comfort items it not only provides them with items, but it also lets them know that people back in the states are thinking about them.”
chinbl15@bonaventure.edu
