RALEIGH, N.C. – Several members of the North Carolina National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion recently assisted North Carolina State University’s Army ROTC program during a field training exercise at Fort Pickett, Va.
The RRB’s support was part of an ongoing relationship with ROTC programs in order to provide general information about the N.C. Guard and the benefits of joining the organization.
For this event, the RRB soldiers helped first and second year Army ROTC students to learn rappelling procedures as part of their military training.
“This training helps build a relationship with cadets before they enter their MSIII [third year] and MSIV [fourth year] years in ROTC, which makes it easier for the officer selection section to access future Officers for the N.C. Guard,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chris Hackney, NCNG RRB soldier.
The training consisted of rappelling, a confidence and obstacle course, land navigation and other basic soldier skills.
According to Hackney, one of the cadets expressed how much they enjoyed seeing their first and second year peers learning how to negotiate the obstacle course, rappel and learn a little bit about themselves by working through their weaknesses and developing individual achievement that builds confidence.
“This is a great opportunity to meet and greet with ROTC leadership and give the programs a chance to put a name with a face when dealing with the North Carolina Army National Guard,” said Army Capt. James McVeigh, NCNG officer strength management chief at the training event.
Typically, according to Hackney, the RRB supports training events like this periodically, but normally not outside of North Carolina.
As part of the RRB’s enduring mission, they seek out these future leaders as part of a recruiting opportunity to augment new commissioned officers into the NCNG.
“We are looking for the best and brightest cadets to become members of the N.C. Guard,” said Hackney. “These opportunities give us the ability to access the cadets from the beginning of ROTC and follow them through their ROTC career.”
ROTC is one means of obtaining a commission as an officer. By using this commissioning source students and future leaders receive a federal/state commission and also finish with a four-year degree. If the N.C. Guard can obtain these future leaders, the acquisition guarantees developing and building its leadership for the future of the organization.
Cadets receive a monthly stipend for participating in the ROTC program as well as possible scholarships, if they qualify. If cadets choose to join the National Guard during their time in school, they automatically qualify for the Simultaneous Membership Program, where they train with NCNG units while attending school.
By doing so, the cadets get valuable on the job training from unit veterans and valuable mentorship and leadership experience that will better prepare the future leaders once they become officers.
The cadets’ participation gave them a chance to execute some fun Army training and to develop confidence in their abilities.
Support like this helps the RRB achieve its overall mission, recruit and retain new members to our organization. To find out more about Army ROTC and National Guard service, visit the following websites at: http://www.goarmy.com/rotc.html and http://www.nationalguard.com/.