By Jenny Wells-Hosley and Meg Mills LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 11, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Army ROTC program, based in the College of Arts and Sciences, is dedicated to turning college students into military leaders through classroom instruction, physical fitness training and special events.
For those who complete the program, graduation brings more than just a diploma. It marks the moment they receive their commission as second lieutenants in the United States Army. But before that milestone, cadets undergo extensive training designed to familiarize them with the military community they will soon serve.
A key part of this preparation involves mastering drill and ceremony, an annual focus in their lab instruction. Mastering the basics builds discipline and sets the foundation for future training. This year, cadets had a special opportunity to experience drill and ceremony in a new way.
On Sept. 4, local drill sergeants and a drill sergeant candidate from the U.S. Army Reserve partnered with UK Army ROTC to help teach step-by-step instructions for proper drill and ceremony, offering 160 cadets “real-world” military experience.
“The benefit of having drill sergeants come and teach this is having the instruction given in the exact same way we also teach new enlisted soldiers to conduct drill and ceremonies,” said Master Sgt. James Hallaway, senior military science instructor for Army ROTC. “This ensures all soldiers are able to have the same knowledge of how these basic tasks are executed.”
Cadet Meghan Taylor, a sophomore majoring in nursing and minoring in military science from Scott Depot, West Virginia, says the experience was very valuable.
“We were able to learn exactly what drill sergeants are critiquing and expecting when we perform drill and ceremony,” she said.
“This was a useful exercise because it taught cadets the proper way to execute movements…something you do quite regularly in the Army,” said Cadet Jeremy Brentzel, a senior majoring in information communication technology from Taylorsville, Kentucky.
“I believe it’s important for potential future officers to get to work with enlisted leadership, like myself, that are not organic to their own unit,” said Staff Sgt. Lucas Ferguson, one of the local Army Reserve drill sergeants who helped organize the event.
Another local drill sergeant was Staff Sgt. Zack Short, a two-time UK alum from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education.
“It was great to give back, not only as an alum, but helping cadets grow," Short said. “The mentorship we provide is one of the main things I love about being a drill sergeant.”
Last week’s drill and ceremony was just one of many training exercises cadets experience in preparation to become military leaders.
Brentzel, who plans to join the Kentucky Army National Guard and work in information security after graduating from UK, says he joined Army ROTC to enhance his leadership skills.
“UK has prepared me for future aspirations by giving me a good foundation for what the information security job may look like through a series of classes related to risk management, security informatics and more,” he said.
Taylor plans to use her education and ROTC experience to pursue nursing in the military.
“The UK College of Nursing and the Army ROTC program are preparing me very well,” she said. “This upcoming summer after my sophomore year, I will attend advanced camp a year early. This is where cadets go through a training program that will develop leadership skills and prepare us to become Army officers. Then the next summer after my junior year, I will attend the Nurse Summer Training Program. This is where I will be in a clinical setting at an Army hospital and get hands-on experience in military nursing. Overall, I am very excited for these two amazing opportunities, and I believe they will greatly prepare for me for my role as an Army Nurse Corps Officer.
“My experience (in the ROTC program) has been amazing,” Taylor said. “I have met my best friends through ROTC and had really exciting opportunities such as participating in the 9/11 Stair Climb, competing in the Army Ten-Miler race in Washington, D.C., competing in the Mogadishu Mile fitness competition and attending semester field training exercises.”
To learn more about UK’s Army ROTC program, visit https://armyrotc.as.uky.edu/ or call 859-257-2696.
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