By Bryce Spadafora, Contributing Writer
Sophomores interested in, and not currently part of, ROTC still have the opportunity to join. The Seneca Battalion is looking for students to attend a training program in Fort Knox, Kentucky this summer.
The 30-day program is geared towards students who may have missed the first two years of the ROTC program, said Recruiting Officer John Gordnier.
“This training gets you caught up so that, by your junior year, everybody has the same level of training coming in,” Gordnier said.
According to Gordnier, the program is similar to basic training, but not as long.
“It is only four weeks, where typical basic training for enlisted soldiers is nine weeks,” Gordnier said. “They have to get oriented to the military. They are going to teach you how to wear a uniform and how to do drill and ceremony. That will morph into the leadership aspect.”
Gordnier said a sense of leadership is what students will take away from the camp.
“This is a leadership development program, so when they come back they need to have that leadership mindset,” Gordnier said.
Gordnier described the training as, “mildly rigorous.” A general physical by a medical physician is required for acceptance into the program.
The Seneca Battalion covers travel to and from Fort Knox, uniforms and equipment. The program also includes room and board for students.
The Seneca Battalion does not have the dates of the camp yet, but Gordnier said there will be multiple sessions throughout the summer.
After completing the cadet training and contracting with the U.S. Army, students will receive a $5,000 bonus. In addition to the bonus, cadets on campus receive a monthly stipend of $420.
However, Lt. Col. Sean Coulter said what ROTC and the Army offers students is more important than the bonus. According to Coulter, the values of the U.S. Army mirror the Franciscan values of St. Bonaventure University.
“It is one in the same, just different words,” Coulter said. “People don’t really think it about the Army and ROTC, but it’s about values and character. Kids come to Bonaventure and they have good character.”
According to the official Army website, there are seven main values the Army aims to uphold: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
According to Coulter, the leadership instilled in cadets by the ROTC program is needed past Bonaventure.
“If you have Bonaventure values, that good character, that’s what our kids need to lead,” Coulter said. “We can’t afford to have any kid off the street take a leadership role. Bonaventure helps us out by making sure they have good character.”
Coulter also said that the small school atmosphere leads to big results when it comes to commissioning lieutenants after graduation. Several previous St. Bonaventure ROTC members have gone on to rise through the ranks of the U.S. Army.
“For a small school, that’s pretty impressive,” Coulter said. “That’s because of the value-based leadership that Bonaventure teaches, not just the army.”
According to Coulter, the Army is in need of more people to join its ranks.
“The Army needs Bonaventure people,” Coulter said. “They are offering opportunities to kids out there, particularly sophomores, that they are not going to get at any other time.”
Students interested in applying can contact Gordnier by phone at 716-375-2567 or by email at jgordnie@sbu.edu.
