They looked first behind their formation at where they had come from and then ahead to the hill they had to scale to drop off supplies.
Jakota Davidson, senior and public affairs officer for the IU ROTC program, said the ROTC is in the middle of a curriculum change to move the focus from assessments to teaching. For him, it’s the difference between teaching a class to prepare for a standardized test versus lessons students can apply to their own lives.
“We kind of were given leeway to do whatever we want,” he said.
Davidson said the change in philosophy is what led to the new set up of Field ?Training Exercises.
***
They knew there was an improvised explosive device, or IED, hidden somewhere on the road, and they had to find it before there were causalities.
Among Platoon B1 were people acting as foreign citizens, warning them of danger ahead. But they couldn’t stop. The platoon had a mission.
Even though they knew it was training, there was obvious tension in the group.
Adrenaline flowed through cadets as though it were all real.
The entire exercise lasted from about 7 a.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday, Davidson said.
He said cadets started training by boarding helicopters near Memorial Stadium and flying to the cross country course.
There are six different scenarios, which are called lanes, that the cadets have to prepare for, Davidson said.
The first lane consisted of using Zodiac riverboats to complete a mission.
Following that, cadets had to make a rope bridge and then use it to transfer ?supplies.
Cadets then had to interact with a village leader on peaceful terms in the third lane.
At the fourth lane, cadets would simulate being on a mission and finding an IED either through its detonation or ?containing it.
In the fifth lane, cadets had to locate an enemy camp and share observations with superior officers to form a plan of action.
The sixth lane was a mission ?involving propelling down a cliff to aid a pilot whose plane had crashed.
Very little of what the cadets are doing is combat-based, as many people might falsy believe. Instead, cadets are focusing on field work.
***
In this lane, the cadets were told they were on the border of two war-torn ?countries.
The silence was deafening. Cadets waited for a soldier’s worst nightmare to ring out through the hills.
Despite tension, cadets still lined the road, pulling security on both sides.
One of the senior cadets acting as a foreign national pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, and cadets quickly reacted as though the foreign national had a detonator. This instinct could save lives.
The cadets continued up the hill.
Then they heard the ?explosion.
***
Senior Zachary Greer was the platoon leader for Platoon B1 at the IED lane.
“It’s like walking on eggshells,” he said of the uphill trek.
Greer said he was “taken out” in the blast. This forced the younger cadets to take charge and make decisions on how to proceed.
They were without their leader. But they still had to complete the mission.
“It’s as realistic as it gets,” Greer said.
Those cadets that hadn’t been harmed rushed to secure the perimeter of the epicenter and address the injuries sustained in the blast.
The top priorities were security and safety.
Senior Jared Beamer , who had been acting as a foreign citizen, said they were calling in injuries in order of severity. They had to make sure all necessary equipment would arrive.
Suddenly, the lane was completed.
Walking up the hill, cadets took a head count, drank water and listened as senior Justin Kohl began to lead the after action report with B1. He and other seniors, or MS4s, as well as younger cadets commented on the mission’s ?successes and failures.
A lot of focus fell on the human element of interacting with foreign and native civilians. Kohl said it was vital every cadet knew what was happening at all times.
“Overall, I think you guys did pretty well,” Kohl said.
After finishing their review, the cadets fanned out over their assembly area and ate various rations, including stew. Even while talking and relaxing, they still took shifts looking for potential threats.
***
Sophomore Adam Whisler said class experience helped him prepare for training and the leadership roles he was asked to fill, but that was only half the battle.
During the Road to War brief cadets had in their weekly lab session, they were taught more than just tactics. They discussed vital aspects of an actual deployment.
Another major aspect highlighted during the training program is the camaraderie, he said.
“We’ve all built up a pretty good relationship for sure,” Whisler said.
He said this training helps build trust and a solid rapport with other cadets, particularly during time at the AA.
As the sun set on the first day of training, Davidson said having cadets of all experience levels is part of what makes the training great.
He said the camaraderie he’s experienced has led to meeting some of his best friends, who he hangs out with outside the training grounds also.
“And now, as seniors, we do everything together,” ?Davidson said.
***
Senior Matt Petrowski said thinking outside the box was difficult before the FTX program was introduced.
Previously, cadets were trained specifically for a month-long training session during the summer.
Instead of focusing on training for training, cadets are focusing on training for the experiences they will have in the coming years, he said.
At the end of day one, seniors held a meeting to discuss the six training lanes and what adjustments would be made before day two, senior Ryan Lambert said .
Cadets shouldn’t be able to fall into a “cookie cutter” version of problem solving and must instead be forced to think about every situation presented to them, ?he said.
Lambert said he noticed younger cadets having an easier time thinking broadly about situations.
They weren’t set in the ways of years past.
***
The silence of day two was punctuated only by the sounds of rustling leaves.
Davidson approached Platoon Alpha One. Acting the part of a civilian, he consented to be searched for potential threats.
Nearby, leaders discussed how they would take on a reconnaissance mission to observe a camp located over a steep hill. All cadets gave input, contributing fresh knowledge and perspectives.
Senior Jesse Selby said the mission was to observe and report on enemy forces from observation posts established by the cadets.
The cadets scaled the hill. They dug their boots into the mud, clinging to trees as they ascended to a vantage point where they could see the enemy without being seen.
Selby said this training was helping cadets ?understand the 24/7 nature of being a soldier.
“We do what we can in the time allotted,” he said.
Sophomore Paul Notarangelo told Selby he could see people dressed in black near a blue tent. He knew they were near a water source. The enemy had weapons.
***
Junior Lance Hunter approached Selby with a situational report, telling him the enemy had what appeared to be an American hostage.
Suddenly, their observational mission changed. They had to save a civilian’s life.
“This stuff really ?happens,” Selby says. “It’s scary.”
Selby radios the new information up the chain of command. Platoon Alpha One now has permission to engage the enemy.
Cadets move stealthily down the hill on two sides. They surround the camp.
As they draw near, they try to talk to the enemy leader. They try to convince him to free the hostage, but their efforts are ?unsuccessful.
In a flurry of activity, cadets attempt to take down the enemy with fake rifles, a scene that is all too real half a world away.
Some fall as they were “shot down.”
After the lane is ?complete, cadets sit down with Colonel Timothy Hoch. They discuss the mission piece by piece, looking at both the strong and weak points of their maneuvers.
One of the enemies, played by Hoch, shares his own experiences with the cadets. He explains the reality of “understanding the enemy” and the life or death difference it makes.
After their review, the cadets talk among themselves, further analyzing the ?situation.
They prepared themselves to climb the next hill, bracing for the next ?challenge.
The FTX was an uphill battle, one working to ?prepare them for war.
