IU ROTC cadets graduate, look toward future

Over the past four years, Second Lieutenant Jim Gordon said he has undergone a transformation.

“If you were to compare me to this time four years ago, it’s almost night and day in how different of a person I’ve become,” Gordon said.

Gordon is one of 15 IU ROTC cadets who graduated from the program last month to become lieutenants.

Gordon said serving in the military is something he wanted to do since he was a child, but the program helped him gain the skills he needed, become a better leader and give him more confidence.

Each year, the ROTC offered a new set of challenges for the cadets, he said.
Gordon said freshman year was just about learning the ropes.

The summer after their sophomore year, many of the cadets went to Army schools.
By the time junior year rolled around, the cadets were focused on finding the actual branch and job they wanted in the Army.

Gordon described senior year as a group effort and said it was an experience similar to what lieutenants will face in the Army. Senior cadets are in charge of training events and learn how to assign underclassmen to certain events according to their personality and strengths.

Second Lieutenant Matthew Tetreau, whose parents are both veterans, said having an occupational career set up for him by accommodations from the Army made balancing class and ROTC an easier task throughout the past four years.

“Not having to worry about it really allowed me to focus on school and ROTC this semester,” Tetreau said. “It’s exciting to know you have a job with good benefits and it’s something you enjoy.”

IU’s ROTC program has been ranked third in the country, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Ogden said this year’s class features some incredibly talented Lieutenants.

“I can just echo what I’ve heard about the graduating class of Gordon, Tetreau and this group of seniors,” Ogden said. “They are among the best this program has seen within the past 10 years.”

Gordon and Tetreau both said they are looking forward to the future.

Later this month, Tetreau will attend the Engineer Basic Officer Leader Course, located at the United States Army Engineer School in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. After this four-month course, Tetreau said he hopes to go through more Army schools before being stationed in Germany.

Gordon will attend the Infantry Officer Basic Course in Fort Benning, Ga. After, he will attend ranger school, air assault school and then finally head to Fort Campbell, Ky. with the 101st Airborne Division. Gordon said learning how to work as a team with ROTC has been a very beneficial lesson and accountability is one thing the military definitely encourages.

Every individual in a large organization has an important role, he said.

“If you’re just one person out of 300, you’re still as responsible as anyone else,” Gordon said. “In a military setting, you not only have to look after yourself, but also your buddies to the left and right of you.”