Spring Break
ROTC teaches leadership and character for life
By: Jason Staggs
Issue date: 6/2/09 Section: Opinion
I write to express a heartfelt thanks to Texas A&M's Army ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program and programs like it nation-wide for helping to develop character and direction, especially during my educational experience.
After receiving an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M and an active duty commission in 1995, career service to the military was the furthest from my long-term goals. Now, after nearly 14 years, it is difficult to envision a more rewarding career choice than one with the U.S. Army. To place things in context, that realization is only possible through the invaluable experiences provided by my involvement in Texas A&M's Army ROTC program.
As a young college student with ambition but without direction, I persevered through a tough Army ROTC program that helped me recognize the value of a military career. In college, "average" is about the best description of my academic performance. I never excelled at anything in particular, but got by on a strong work ethic and a desire to finish what I started.
While I credit some of these career attributes to a strong family upbringing, in college, some students need to be motivated and challenged by peers and professors. Army ROTC focused my efforts toward graduation and the ethic I learned there continues to guide the principle-centered leadership I have adopted throughout my military career.
Combining healthy individual competition with peer leadership and teamwork, ROTC brings out the best of the individual cadet and begins to mold the foundation for how that future officer develops his or her character and leadership style.
The peer leadership and educational structure of ROTC and most subsequent Army schooling requires an individual to develop strong interpersonal skills that will serve them throughout career service and after the military.
The aforementioned traits are not novel concepts in the development of young military leaders, but we sometimes fail to credit the institutions and their respective leadership development programs that have helped us to attain our goals.
After participating in Army ROTC, I had the opportunity to return the favor as an Assistant Professor of Military Science (AMPS) at Texas State's Army ROTC program in San Marcos. During this time, one of my most rewarding career experiences, I ensured I took the time to provide my students with the individual attention needed to shape goals as future leaders of the Army and our nation.
In today's world, with emerging threats facing our young men and women, it is important for junior and senior officers to remember where we started and how to best support programs like Army ROTC and the leaders it produces.
While attending school in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., over the past year, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my "profession of arms" and want to ensure I give credit where credit is due. Thanks again to Texas A&M University's Army ROTC program and to programs like it throughout the nation.
After receiving an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M and an active duty commission in 1995, career service to the military was the furthest from my long-term goals. Now, after nearly 14 years, it is difficult to envision a more rewarding career choice than one with the U.S. Army. To place things in context, that realization is only possible through the invaluable experiences provided by my involvement in Texas A&M's Army ROTC program.
As a young college student with ambition but without direction, I persevered through a tough Army ROTC program that helped me recognize the value of a military career. In college, "average" is about the best description of my academic performance. I never excelled at anything in particular, but got by on a strong work ethic and a desire to finish what I started.
While I credit some of these career attributes to a strong family upbringing, in college, some students need to be motivated and challenged by peers and professors. Army ROTC focused my efforts toward graduation and the ethic I learned there continues to guide the principle-centered leadership I have adopted throughout my military career.
Combining healthy individual competition with peer leadership and teamwork, ROTC brings out the best of the individual cadet and begins to mold the foundation for how that future officer develops his or her character and leadership style.
The peer leadership and educational structure of ROTC and most subsequent Army schooling requires an individual to develop strong interpersonal skills that will serve them throughout career service and after the military.
The aforementioned traits are not novel concepts in the development of young military leaders, but we sometimes fail to credit the institutions and their respective leadership development programs that have helped us to attain our goals.
After participating in Army ROTC, I had the opportunity to return the favor as an Assistant Professor of Military Science (AMPS) at Texas State's Army ROTC program in San Marcos. During this time, one of my most rewarding career experiences, I ensured I took the time to provide my students with the individual attention needed to shape goals as future leaders of the Army and our nation.
In today's world, with emerging threats facing our young men and women, it is important for junior and senior officers to remember where we started and how to best support programs like Army ROTC and the leaders it produces.
While attending school in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., over the past year, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my "profession of arms" and want to ensure I give credit where credit is due. Thanks again to Texas A&M University's Army ROTC program and to programs like it throughout the nation.
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