Cadets prepare to pass command

It’s dark and freezing at 6 a.m. Wednesday, but in the middle of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation track is a scene of sweat and organization. Jim Gordon, cadet battalion commander, leads a circle of cadets in sit-ups.

This summer, at the Leadership Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Wash., 11 senior cadets from IU achieved the highest possible rating.

The achievement ranked the students among the highest 16 percent of the 5,200 cadets who participated in the five-week evaluation course, Lt. Col. Michael Ogden said.

During their final semester, the seniors honored for their physical, academic and leadership abilities still wake up each morning before daylight to lead a gym full of young men and women.

The ROTC trains students to become commanding officers after graduation, but it’s not a requirement that all cadets join the military.

After Gordon graduates from IU with a degree in history this May, he will become an infantry officer.

It’s the position he’s dreamed of since he was a little boy. He said he was easy to shop for at Christmas because he always asked for GI Joes.

“He’ll be like the executive of a corporation,” 2nd Lt. Jamie Hartman said. “He will plan what his unit does and be in charge of training a platoon.”

Gordon wants to work in Afghanistan, but for now he’s shouting commands to cadets who will sit with other students in classes today. The current senior class holds an average GPA of 3.25, Ogden said.

“After seeing what these cadets are going through, I would recommend ROTC over Westpoint’s total immersion,” Master Sgt. Richard Meiers said while watching Gordon run through the drills. “You get the college environment here.”

When Gordon graduates and heads into military life, he’ll walk away from a class of seniors who all received a placement at one of their top three military branch choices.

The leaders this year helped establish an all-female team for the elite Ranger Challenge, considered the “varsity sport” of Army ROTC, Ogden said.

Rachel Wertz, the team’s captain, said she was surprised and excited by how many women tried out for an event that has featured squads of eight men and one woman in the past.

Gordon said he and the other senior cadets are handing down skills by training juniors to take the lead.

At a weekly leadership lab Thursday, Gordon stood under a bright red “Hoosiers” banner in the University Gym. He spoke to the entire battalion of about 150 cadets, who sat cross-legged on the court floor dressed in army combat uniforms.

In a gym steeped in University spirit, the men and women in the room were learning about working as soldiers across the ocean.

As one of the highest-rated cadets in the nation, Gordon himself is preparing to take that trip.