Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Here is the Army ROTC Update for February:

 

State of the Corps of Cadets. We have 157 enrolled cadets. We’ve contracted 106 of those cadets and will commission 36 this year. 

 

Cadet Command CG Visit.  Major General Peggy Combs, the commanding general for US Army Cadet Command conducted a command visit of The Ohio State University on the 20th of February.  She traveled with Command Sergeant Major Arnold to see firsthand the status of the program. We met with the Dean of Undergraduate Education and then conducted a question and answer session with MSIIIs and MSIVs.  We also gave her a program update and discussed key university and cadet initiatives, including, SHARP Partnership, Dean’s Leadership Academy, OSU Wellness Program, the OSU Army ROTC Alumni Society, Veterans Affairs, and the Future Cadet Mentorship Team.  Key leaders from the university were present to talk about their programs and how they support the Army ROTC program.  After the formal portion, we gave her a tour of the Woody Hayes Football Facility.  She was very impressed with the entire program.

 

Military Ball.  We celebrated the 106th Army ROTC Ball on Friday the 20th.  Over 300 people attended the ball. When we found out that MG Combs was conducting her visit the same day as our ball, we invited her to attend and she not only accepted, but she was our guest speaker. Rarely does a guest speaker like that fall into your lap; the timing was perfect. If you’ve never heard MG Combs speak, you are missing out.  She is a very moving speaker and literally brought the crowd of 300 to their feet with applause.  She addressed the cadets and ended her speech with the following words: “Your excellence is UNDISPUTED!”

 

CASH/A:  We conducted interviews for our new Cadets Against Sexual Harassment and Assault Organization. 29 cadets competed for 12 positions in the new organization. The cadets were from all classes, freshman through seniors. It was a very tough decision, but MSG Petty, SFC Burger, and I have picked the leadership for this organization. We want to congratulate the new President, Cadet Kevin Livingston (junior) and the Vice President, Cadet Erica Cotter (freshman).  They will now take the lead in the fight against sexual harassment and assault.

 

Future Cadet Mentorship Team. You have received the new Buckeye Bulletin published by the FCMT.  They are doing so much more than just publishing this newsletter.  They’ve visited local community programs, arranged guest speakers to talk to cadets, and helped at the local food pantry. The cadets decided that they needed this type of organization to help develop younger cadets, to improve community relations, and to improve their communication and writing skills.  There is very little cadre involvement with the program (ie. no one on my staff directed the cadets to do this) which speaks to their initiative and selfless service.  

 

Cadet Leadership Development Exercise (CALDEX). All senior cadets traveled to Ft Knox from the 6th to the 8th of February to participate in the 1st ever Cadet Leadership Development Exercise hosted by the 7th Brigade. At the CALDEX, cadets participated in leadership exercises, ethical decision-making exercises, company command leadership panel, SHARP, and Comprehensive Soldier Fitness seminars. Perhaps the biggest thing the cadets from The Ohio State University took away from the CALDEX was confidence. After spending a weekend with cadets from 38 different schools, it was clear that our cadets are better prepared to join our forces than most in attendance. 

 

Force 2025 and Beyond. BG Brito was our guest speaker for an MSIV class on The Army in Transition (Strategic).  What better person to discuss this topic than the Director of Force 2025 and Beyond?  BG Brito’s son is an MSIII in the Buckeye Battalion and is one of our top cadets.  BG Brito also took time to talk with other classes, gave his leadership philosophy, and discussed what a platoon leader must know.

 

Upcoming Events. I wanted to give you a list of the upcoming events so if you are in the area, you can join us and meet your future platoon leaders. You are always welcome at any of our events.  If you would like more information on an event, please contact me.

 

3 and 5 March 2015: Army Got Your Back Training

12 March 2015: Hall of Fame Dinner/Spring Awards

13 March 2015: Senior Breakfast

16-19 April 2015: Spring Leadership Development Exercise (formally FTX)

23 April 2015: Tri-service Pass and Review

10 May 2015: Spring Commissioning (Guest Speaker-MG Smith, DCG XVIII Airborne Corps)

 

Social Media. Senior Cadet Winkelmann has taken over the OSU Army ROTC website, Facebook page, and also created a Twitter account. He is doing an outstanding job. Please spread the word and help us tell the Buckeye Battalion’s story.

 

Please check us out at:

 

http://arotc.osu.edu/

 

Like us at:

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ohio-State-University-Army-ROTC/129026100545940

 

Follow us at:

 

https://twitter.com/tOSU_AROTC

 

GO BUCKS!!

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Bunyak, United States Army
Professor of Military Science and Leadership
Commanding Officer
The Ohio State University
Army Reserve Officers Training Corps 
253E Converse Hall, 2121 Tuttle Park Place, Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-6075 Office

(913) 702-6888 Cell
bunyak.2@osu.edu