Course Overview and Cadet Life

Classes

Instructors teach Army ROTC just like other classes in the school curriculum. There is no special application to attend ROTC; students simply select Military Science classes during their class registration process. For freshman and sophomores, the time commitment is small; one credit hour of class a week. These classes study the history, customs, traditions, and role of the U.S. Army.

Juniors and seniors take three credit hours of classes and broaden their scope to officership training. These courses cover a wide spectrum of subjects, from training in common military skills to fostering a value system that emphasizes service to the nation, readiness to persevere in the face of obstacles, and willingness to make personal sacrifices in pursuit of the greater good. The emphasis of junior level classes is to prepare cadets to attend the National Advanced Leadership Camp the following summer. Senior level classes prepare cadets for commissioning and their future career in the Army as officers.

Lead Labs

In addition to class, each week all cadets take part in a two hour-long leadership lab. Lead lab is where cadets put the information they learned in class to practical, hands-on use. The training environment is fun and exciting; cadets learn basic infantry skills such as grenade throwing, marksmanship, navigation, and squad tactics (e.g. how to conduct an ambush or knock out a bunker).

Field Training

Army ROTC takes to the field twice a semester. Training takes place on weekends and usually is located at the nearby Ocala National Forest or at Camp Blanding in Jacksonville for ERAU cadets.

These trips further the cadet training experience by allowing them to use their skills in a realistic environment.

Cadets practice their navigational skills and squad tactics at Ocala National Forest. While at Camp Blanding they hone their shooting ability at the M16A2 and M249 SAW machinegun ranges.

Leadership Camp

Between a student's junior and senior year, a cadet will attend the Leadership Development and Assessment Course at the beautiful Fort Lewis in the state of Washington. This camp is designed to solidify a cadets ROTC experience and ensure that they are prepared to become an officer in the U.S. Army. Students from all Army ROTC detachments nationwide are required to attend this camp. For Embry-Riddle cadets, the training at camp is nothing new; they use the same knowledge they gained while at ERAU. As a result, ERAU cadets rank highest among their national peers in camp performance.

Ranger Challenge

If you are athletic, enjoy team spirit, have a drive to win, and just love the whole Army infantry experience, Ranger Challenge is probably for you. The team provides cadets with another opportunity for exciting and challenging training. Ranger Challenge is Army ROTC's "varsity sport." Annually, more than 300 universities nationwide field teams to compete in a series of challenging events. ERAU's cadets compete against 21 schools and teams from Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico in the Brigade Competition at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Training for this event includes rigorous physical fitness workouts, information classes on various elements of light infantry tactics, and a weekend Field Training Exercise where the team practices rifle marksmanship, rope bridge, land navigation, and other infantry skills.

The Daytona Beach team has a strong reputation as a winner. Despite the fact ERAU is not a military college like many of their competitors, the team placed first at Brigade two times in the past four years. In addition, the team was invited to the Sandhurst Competition three times in the same four years. Sandhurst takes place during spring at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. This is a major international event involving teams from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Germany.

During the 2002 Competition, the Daytona Beach team placed 9th out of 46, beating all the ROTC teams, 26 of the West Point teams, all the other Academy teams, the Canadian team, and the German team. In addition, they placed first in marksmanship.

Optional Summer Training

Airborne (Fort Benning, Ga.) - This physically demanding three-week course trains soldiers to conduct military parachute operations. During the final week of the course, cadets conduct five parachute jumps as a prerequisite to graduation.

Air Assault (Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Rucker, Ala., Schofield Barracks, Hawaii) - This physically demanding, 12-day course trains soldiers to conduct military operations with Army Aviation support. In addition to a challenging physical training program, the course includes instruction in preparing and inspecting external sling loads, rappelling from helicopters, and a 12-mile timed road march in full combat gear.

Northern Warfare (Fort Greely, Alaska) - This three-week course provides training in the skills required for survival, movement, and the conduct of military operations in mountainous terrain and cold regions. Emphasis is placed on basic military mountaineering skills.

Mountain Warfare (Jericho, Vt. ) -This two-week course is designed to develop and train for the leadership and technical skills needed by Army personnel to perform mountaineering tasks in a realistic mountain environment. It provides students with the practical, hands-on experience in the application of tactics and techniques effective for mountain operations.

Combat Diver Qualification Course (United States Naval Air Station, Trumbo Point Annex, Key West, Florida) - The Special Forces Underwater Operations Combat Diver Course. This is one of the tougher schools the Army has to offer. If you make it through the OL-H, it is not too difficult physically...but you still have to learn dive tables, physiology, tides, waves, and currents, CPR, submarine lock-in/out, etc.

Robin Sage (Camp Mackall, NC) - Cadets play the role of guerillas and act as insurgent members of a growing resistance force.

CTLT (Cadet Troop Leadership Course) - Available to cadets in the summer between their junior and senior years. CTLT provides a unique opportunity for cadets to experience the work environment of an active duty Second Lieutenant. Cadets are assigned for a three-week period to Second Lieutenant positions in the active Army, usually to platoon leader positions, and are expected to lead soldiers in the accomplishment of unit missions. CTLT cadets interact with unit commanders, junior officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers in the "real life" environment of the unit.

Combat Survival Training Course (Colorado Springs, CO) - Personnel intensively trained in support of the Code of Conduct; survival field craft with application to worldwide environments; and the techniques of evasion, resistance to exploitation, and escape from captivity.