Forty students from the UNM U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Unit participated in the spring semester training event last week. The event, which serves as a final for juniors, took place on Kirtland Air Force Base.
Photo: Cadets prepare for a simulated assault on a bunker as part of a training exercise.
Captain Donald Martinez says the Army ROTC unit has one major exercise each semester. “We teach hands-on leadership,” he says, “as opposed to the classroom experience.”
Students carrying packs loaded with paintball guns and ammunition climbed aboard two Army Blackhawk helicopters south of the University Arena and flew to Kirtland where some students assaulted a bunker, while senior cadets defended it. Team leaders had to plan and lead the assault. They are graded for their leadership potential and some juniors will be sent to a leadership training camp next summer.
The students will use the camp experience to help them decide whether they want to go directly into the U.S. Army after graduation or whether they want to be part of the National Guard.