Army ROTC Buckeye Alumni,

We are off to another great start. The Buckeye Battalion is as strong as ever. Especially after the 462 pushups the Cadets did at the Bowling Green Football Game. Yes, that’s right, 462!! Here is a link to the media coverage of the game:

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2016/09/did_ohio_state_rotc_students_r.html

State of the Corps of Cadets. We have 181 enrolled cadets. We have a commission mission of 25, but will commission 27 this year. We had 80 new Cadets join this semester and have only lost 7. My focus is on retention this year.

Homecoming Flag Raising Detail: Speaking of pushups on the field, we will, once again, honor OSU Army ROTC Alumni at the Homecoming game against Rutgers on October 1st. Any actively serving, Active Duty, Reserve, or Guard OSU Army ROTC Alumni are invited to be a part of the Converse Guard Flag Raising Detail for the game. If you are interested in raising the flag at the Rutgers game, please email me directly with your Name, Rank, Branch, Current Duty Assignment, Graduation year, and contact information. I will send you more info on the event. It is a 1200 game and the uniform is ACUs/OCPs.

Air Assault Distinguished Graduate. This summer senior Cadet Dax Conrad attended Air Assault School and he not only graduated but also was recognized as the distinguished graduate. There were 90 officers, NCOs, and soldiers in his class and 8 Cadets. He was the best of all the officers, NCOs, Soldiers, and Cadets. Cadet Conrad is the Cadet Battalion CSM this semester.

Cadet Academic Progress and Success (CAPS). We’ve implemented the CAPS program this semester. The athletic department has utilized academic monitoring for years, but the University hasn’t had a system for the general student population. Army ROTC is piloting the new academic monitoring system for the university. It includes, online, near real-time, grade reports, attendance reports, risk factors, and other academic monitoring tools. We’ve also implemented mandatory study tables for cadets who do not meet the average Corps of Cadets GPA of 3.30. We have 28 students in the CAPS program and 4 who have volunteered to participate. Our goal is to have everyone off the program by the end of the year, but we will continue to monitor academic progress.

Special Forces 3 Gun Shoot. The local Columbus chapter of the Special Forces Society invited Cadets to participate in their first annual 3 Gun Shoot. The Army ROTC Alumni Society sponsored the event with a $1,000 donation to the Special Forces Society. The proceeds benefited local SF veterans who recently redeployed from Afghanistan. Several members of the SF group were seriously wounded in combat and this fundraiser supported these wounded warriors. The Buckeye Battalion Cadets participated in the shoot and had the chance to meet with and talk to the SF Soldiers. Cadet Conrad and Cadet Hater shot multiple weapons and could not stop talking about what a great event it was.

POW/MIA Stadium Seat Dedication. The week before the opening football game, Cadets and Cadre participated in a ceremony hosted by Athletic Director, Gene Smith. The athletic department, in coordination with the Veterans Affairs Department on campus unveiled a single stadium seat in the corner of the endzone by the ROTC Cadets. There are 104,945 seats at the Shoe, and sellout crowds are the norm, but this one black seat honoring POW/MIAs will always remain empty.

Semester Training Brief: We completed our first Semester Training Brief (STB aka QTB). The Battalion Commander, Company Commanders, and battalion staff sections laid out their METL, training objectives, training calendar, and end state. The Cadets developed the METL for the battalion. The tasks are a little different from what we might see at a line unit, but considering this is the first time they’ve been exposed to METL, they came up with a pretty good list. Their METL is: Train to fight in a Complex Environment, Excel at Physical Fitness, Create a Positive Culture and Commitment, Foster Battalion/Community Relations, Creates a Mentally Strong Force. We will continue to make this a requirement each semester.

Upcoming Events.
16-17 September German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge Competition
21 September CWST, RPAC Pool
24-25 September Staff Ride, Antietam
1 October Football Tailgate/Homecoming vs Rutgers, Remembrance Park
8 October Football Tailgate vs Indiana
8-10 October Army 10 Miler
21 October Dining In
27 October Battalion Run and Award Ceremony
29 October Football Tailgate vs Northwestern
5 November Football Tailgate vs Nebraska
10 November Tri-Service Rock Ceremony/Veterans Day Celebration, The Oval
19 November Fall FTX
30 November Battalion Commander’s Cup
17 December Fall Commissioning

Please check us out at: http://arotc.osu.edu/

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GO BUCKS!!