Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Gresso | JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY, AL — Local high school students talking with a...... read more read more
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State University Army ROTC Gamecock Battalion put on a show at the Pete Mathews Coliseum, hosting the Alabama Fighting Championship X Army Guns to cap off a two-day Army career exploration event held April 29 and 30.
The purpose of the event is to increase outreach amongst the people who could potentially be interested in the Army, Army Reserve, National Guard, and specifically Army ROTC. With mixed martial arts fights being the main attraction to get people to visit, guests could tour and speak with recruiters and learn about the educational benefits available. Additionally, guests participated in activities such as virtually piloting an Apache helicopter in the Army Adventure Semi, climbing a rock wall, or even speaking with the Army Marksmanship Unit about current and new weapons.
"We host events like this to get information out, to get the information in front of students, parents, and counselors, so families have all the information they need. I think that's what we have to get to," said Lt. Col. Travis Easterling, Professor of Military Science, Jacksonville State University Army ROTC. "By having all the information, they can make informed choices on how to pay for college and not come out the backside tens of thousands of dollars in debt and actually have a career or job on the backside."
On just the first day of the event, more than 100 people expressed interest in either some form of the Army, whether it be ROTC, active, reserve, or guard. Recruiters constantly look for new and unique ways to reach out to high school and college students.
"Everybody always does stuff for baseball, basketball, football, softball, things of that nature but not so much for mixed martial arts," said Joseph Culver, Recruiting Operations Officer, Jacksonville State University Army ROTC. "So what we developed was a plan to create a mixed martial arts event at the campus here at Jacksonville State University inside the Pete Mathews Coliseum, and that plan came to life this weekend."
Generally speaking, most people know what the Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard have to offer but not so much about ROTC.
"This has been extremely beneficial for letting the college students and community know what we do here and for the community to come out and see what the Army ROTC has to offer," said Culver. "It's been amazing for outreach, and the cadets and students loved it."
The Jacksonville State University Army ROTC is looking to combine another mixed martial arts event later this year with their Gamecock Challenge, a state-level JROTC competition, to be one of the largest recruiting events in Alabama.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2022 16:04 |
| Story ID: | 419747 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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