Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrew Valenza | N.Y. Army National Guard Cadet Nathaniel Breedom, a cadet with the 206th Military...... read more read more
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LATHAM — Army ROTC Cadet Nathaniel Breedon is getting a head start in both his civilian and military careers by serving in the New York Army National Guard’s 206th Military Police company while also attending college and preparing to be an officer.
Breedon, a student at Norwich University, a military college in Vermont, is taking part in ROTC’s Simultaneous Membership Program, which allows ROTC cadets to serve in an Army Guard or Reserve Unit as well as take ROTC classes and training.
In school, Breedon is a Criminal Justice major, with a minor in Criminology and Leadership Studies. Breedon said the mix of his college studies and work in the 206th, is getting him ready for both future careers.
“I feel like it prepares me pretty well,” Breedon said.
“I'm getting good experience within the company, I'm a soldier like everybody else. So I get the full-on experience of the day-to-day activities of a soldier while also shadowing leadership.,” he said.
As an ROTC cadet, Breedon, conducts military training alongside his regular classes. This includes physical fitness training during the weekdays, and learning army tactics.
One of the benefits to the program, Breedon said, is being given the chance to enter competitions to which other Soldiers don’t have easy access to.
Last year, Breedon was a contestant in Ranger Challenge, a multi-school competition that tested their military skills.
“It's a special unit within my school,” Breedon said. "It's like a sport so each year they go to Fort Knox Kentucky and compete against other military academies and do basic army standards like [Tactical Combat Casualty Care], see marksmanship, rock, physical fitness, all the works.”
When Breedon does his drill weekend with the 206th, he shadows 2nd Lt. Ryan Skinner, the 1st Platoon Leader for the 206th.
Skinner said the experience has been a good one, and he’s proud to be a part of Breedon’s development as a Soldier.
“It’s been very good having him as a responsibility and feeling that is helping me become a better officer, seeing how we do things in the National Guard,” Skinner said.
Skinner earned his commission through the Officer Candidate Course.
With that perspective, he said students like Breedon in the SMP have an advantage when going to their unit as a commissioned officer.
“He's actually learning responsibilities of [Military Police Officers],” Skinner said, “so that when he goes to MP Basic Officer Leader Course after he graduates if he gets branched MP, he'll have a lot better understanding than what I did when I first came here.”
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2022 12:55 |
| Story ID: | 433631 |
| Location: | LATHAM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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