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EWU ROTC Cadet Attends the 2019 George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar

10/02/202402/20/2019 by jstafford3

From 11-13 February 2019, the top ROTC Cadets from all 274 ROTC programs across the nation and the US Military Academy at West Point traveled to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas to attend the George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar. Cadet Bryce Stanton from Eastern Washington University (EWU) represented the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) “Fighting Eagles” Battalion at the seminar. Cadet Stanton is an MS-IV (senior) Cadet that was chosen to attend the seminar after ranking first on the ROTC battalion’s Order of Merit List (OML). The OML is based on the Cadet’s academic performance, physical fitness test score, leadership, and achievements in the ROTC program.

Cadet Bryce Stanton at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

The George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar has been held annually since 1978. The seminar was originally held in Lexington, Virginia because Virginia Military Institute (VMI) was the alma mater of General George C. Marshall. Marshall as the Army Chief of Staff, grew the U.S. armed services from about 170,000 to more than eight million by the end of World War II. After the war, Gen. Marshall became the U.S. Secretary of State who formulated the famous “Marshall Plan” to reconstruct Western Europe.

The George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar was held in the Eisenhower Auditorium at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. (Cadet Command Photo)

During the seminar Cadets attended briefs and took part in round-table discussions with Army and defense experts on critical military and geopolitical subjects. The seminar was truly a unique opportunity for the Cadets to interact with senior civilian and military leaders.

Cadet Bryce Stanton (left) at the icebreaker for the George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar. (Cadet Command Photo)

The opening remarks for the seminar were given by Major General John R. Evans, Jr. the commanding general of the U.S. Army Cadet Command. In his remarks Maj. Gen. Evans challenged the Cadets to “Find their Fox” in reference to Major General Fox Connor. Maj. Gen. Connor is considered one of the greatest mentors in U.S. military history.

Major General Fox Connor

He is credited with mentoring many great future general officers to include General George C. Marshall. Here is what General Dwight D. Eisenhower had to say about Maj. Gen. Connor:

General Dwight D. Eisenhower served under, commanded, or worked closely with, GENs John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall, Omar N. Bradley, George S. Patton, Jr., and Walter Bedell Smith. However, when Eisenhower was asked who was the greatest American soldier he knew, he replied MG Fox Conner, adding, “In sheer ability and character, he was the outstanding soldier of my time.” [Army History.org]

I highly recommend listening to Maj. Gen. Evan’s opening remarks below and likewise encourage everyone to find their own Fox as well:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N9gVz6CY5E]

Finally during the seminar, the Cadets broke into small groups and were tasked with preparing briefings on various topics that were then presented to one of the eight ROTC brigade commanders. These briefings trained the Cadets to think critically on topics important to modern day military operations.

Cadet Bryce Stanton (far left) participates in small group activities at the George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar. (Cadet Command Photo)

Congratulations to Cadet Stanton for being selected to attend the George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar. It is a prestigious honor that only the top Cadets in the nation get to attend. Cadet Stanton’s academic achievements and his outstanding performance in ROTC have clearly demonstrated that he is one of the top Cadets in the nation that proudly represented EWU and the Fighting Eagles Battalion at the seminar.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!

Fighting Eagles Cadets Show Their Toughness Conducting Squad Operations Despite Deep Snow

10/04/202402/16/2019 by jstafford3

On February, 14 2019, the Eastern Washington University (EWU) ROTC battalion conducted its weekly Leadership Lab at John F. Kennedy (JFK) Field and inside Cadet Hall. The freezing temperatures and record snow fall did not stop the “Fighting Eagles” Cadets from conducting their training. This February the Spokane area has seen five times the normal amount of snowfall leading to deep snow levels on the EWU Campus.

Cadet Hall surrounded by deep snow.

At this week’s Leadership Lab the Cadets trained on how to properly execute squad attack and assault drills. The platoons while inside Cadet Hall rehearsed the drills before rotating outside to be evaluated on JFK Field. Once outside the Cadets met up with their MS-IV (senior) Cadet who evaluated each squad within the platoon on how well they executed the attack and assault drills.

EWU ROTC Cadet maneuver across JFK Field on the EWU campus.

The MS-III (junior) Cadets were responsible for leading each squad as part of their preparation for Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is held each summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky and the 37 day event is the culmination of three years of intense training in the ROTC program.

EWU ROTC Cadets maneuver through deep snow during weekly training.

The MS-III Cadets used skills learned at prior labs to effectively maneuver their squads to flank and assault the enemy during this week’s training. After each drill an after action report (AAR) was held that was facilitated by the MS-IV Cadet to help the MS-III improve on anything they did wrong during the drill.

MS-IV Cadet Megan Anderson (center) mentors subordinate Cadets.

At the completion of the lab a final formation was held where the EWU ROTC Professor of Military Science (PMS), Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Jonathan Stafford recognized the Hero of the Lab. For this week’s lab, MS-II (sophomore) Cadet Emma Latour was recognized as the Hero of the Lab for how clearly she communicated with her fellow squad members and the high motivation she showed despite the deep snow and cold.

14 Feb. 2019 Hero of the Lab

Great job this week by Cadet Latour and all the other outstanding Fighting Eagles Cadets.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!

EWU Army ROTC NCO Recognized as the Cadet Command Instructor of the Year

10/09/202402/15/2019 by jstafford3

The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) “Fighting Eagles” battalion is pleased to announce that one of our faculty members, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jason Hennig has been selected as the 2018 US Army Cadet Command NCO Instructor of the Year. Each year US Army Cadet Command recognizes one non-commissioned officer (NCO), from its 274 ROTC battalions across the country for this award, with this year’s recognition deservedly going to SFC Hennig.

SFC Jason Hennig

ROTC Impact

Positively impacting the lives of young men and women is what we do in the Fighting Eagles battalion and over the past year SFC Hennig has done just that. For example he was a driving force in preparing our MS-III (Junior) Cadets for Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is held each summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky and the 37 day event is the culmination of three years of intense training in the ROTC program. All Cadets must pass Advanced Camp to commission as an officer into the US Army and must perform well to improve their chances of receiving their top branch choice. All 19 EWU ROTC Cadets passed Advanced Camp with 12 of 19 (63%) of them receiving outstanding or excellent scores. These high scores helped 11 of the 14 Cadets commissioning this year to receive their first branch choice in the Army. This 78% success rate was greater than the Cadet Command average of 60%.

SFC Hennig also helped with organizing many great Cadet activities such as the Expert Fighting Eagle Badge (EFEB) competition that tests Cadets on basic Soldier skills. Cadets that pass this test are awarded an EFEB to wear on their Cadet uniform. The challenging competition is one of the ways EWU ROTC Cadets are prepared to succeed at Advanced Camp. SFC Hennig also assisted with organizing the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB) testing that saw 167 Cadets, Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors travel to the EWU campus to compete for the badge. Due to SFC Hennig’s training plan, the Fighting Eagles battalion had the highest number pass the test with 26x personnel receiving a GAFPB.

University and Community Impact

Besides being a great instructor in the ROTC program, SFC Hennig has also been selected as a guest speaker for classes in the EWU Department of Women and Gender Studies. His guest lectures have focused on the US Army’s sexual assault prevention program and the role of women in the Army. He was also invited to serve as a motivational speaker for the women’s soccer team prior to their opening game in the conference tournament. SFC Hennig has been very active in the local community as well. He serves as a Cub Scout Leader for Pack 258 in Spokane, which consists of weekly den meetings and bi weekly weekend events such as Scouting Out Hunger and visiting senior centers.

The EWU ROTC Professor of Military Science, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Stafford (left) congratulates Sergeant First Class Jason Hennig (right) after he was awarded the Bronze de Fleury Medal this past January.

SFC Hennig is clearly a high performing leader and instructor that has made a positive impact on the Fighting Eagles battalion, Eastern Washington University, and the greater community. Once again congratulations to SFC Hennig for his well deserved recognition as the US Army Cadet Command NCO Instructor of the Year.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!

Fighting Eagles Cadet Selected for Military Lawyer Internship

10/11/202402/13/2019 by jstafford3

EWU ROTC is proud to announce that Cadet Nicholas Null has been selected for a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) Internship.

The U.S. Army JAG Corps operates much like a court system and its military lawyers are licensed attorneys qualified to represent the Army and Army Soldiers in military legal matters. Judge Advocates are often tasked with representing Soldiers during a courts-martial, but the JAG Corps actually encompasses a wide range of legal disciplines, including civil litigation, tort claims, labor law, and international law.

Cadet Null was selected for the internship through a Cadet Command sponsored competitive nomination process that required him to demonstrate academic excellence, physical fitness, and high character. Cadet Null this summer will be traveling to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma where he will intern with an active duty JAG officer. Becoming a military lawyer is Cadet Null’s goal and this internship brings him one step closer to making it a reality.

Congratulations to Cadet Null for being selected for this outstanding internship.

GO ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!

Pictures from the Snow Covered Eastern Washington University Campus

09/30/202402/11/2019 by jstafford3

School was closed today at Eastern Washington University (EWU) due to the approximately 6 inches of snow that fell around the Cheney area. All the snow made driving around Cheney challenging, but it sure made the university look more scenic than usual.

There is more snow on the way tonight for the Spokane area, but in the meantime enjoy the below pictures from around today’s nearly deserted EWU campus:

Picture of the front of Cadet Hall.

Our ROTC pickup truck covered in snow.

Cadet Hall covered in heavy snow.

Wall course below Cadet Hall.

The Computer and Engineering Building located adjacent to Cadet Hall.

The main pathway through the EWU campus.

The historic school house located on the EWU campus

Snow accumulated on a table in front of Patterson Hall.

Snow piled up in front of Roos Field.

EWU ROTC Cadet Selected for Army Test & Evaluation Command Internship

10/14/202402/11/2019 by jstafford3

Congratulations to Cadet Sam Coutts for being selected for an internship with the Army Test & Evaluation Command (ATEC).

ATEC plans, integrates, and conducts experiments, developmental testing, independent operational testing, and independent evaluations and assessments to provide essential information to acquisition decision makers and commanders. ATEC conducts tests every day across 5 1/2 million acres of diverse terrain. Cadet Coutts, who is currently a senior at Eastern Washington University (EWU) studying Engineering, will travel this summer to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland where he will intern as an assistant test officer.

Cadet Coutts was selected for the ATEC internship through a Cadet Command sponsored competitive nomination process open to only Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors. In addition to needing to be a STEM major, Cadet Coutts had to demonstrate academic excellence, physical fitness, and high character. Congratulations to Cadet Coutts for being selected to this outstanding internship