EWU ROTC – Page 27 – EWU Army ROTC

Fighting Eagles Cadets Begin Adopt A Highway Partnership with Washington State Department of Transportation

10/09/202406/05/2019 by jstafford3

By: Cadet Austin Bristow

On June 1st, 2019, Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) Fighting Eagle Battalion began its participation in the Adopt-A-Highway program sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The Cadets cleaned a section of Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson Memorial Highway of debris and litter. The road, also known as Highway 904, is located just north of Cheney in Four Lakes.

The Cadets are ready to conduct their highway cleanup. Back row (left to right: John Drohman, Liam Hewey, Ian House, Hunter Smith, Everett Kuhnel, Riley Williams; front row (left to right): Joseph Jordan, Cheyenne Sweet, Mindy Leen, Samantha Knight, Olivia Roble, Andrew Norby

The Cadets woke up early Saturday morning and donned their hard hats and other safety for the day. Arriving at the designated location with their trash bags, the group spread out over the area to pick up any garbage they saw. Whether it was litter on the road or large piece of wood, EWU ROTC Cadets spent the next couple of hours cleaning up any trash in sight.

Cadets Leen and Williams in the tall grasses looking for litter.

What the Cadets thought would be a long endeavor of cleaning, only took about two hours. With high spirits and beautiful weather, the Cadets were able to collect multiple bags of trash and a stack of wood. Overall, it was a great day of volunteer work in Four Lakes and the Fighting Eagles Cadets look forward to continuing its partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation to maintain the cleanliness of this busy stretch highway for the local community

Go Fighting Eags!

Cadets Leen and Williams in the tall grasses looking for litter

Fighting Eagles Cadets Experience Army Nursing for the First Time at Madigan Army Medical Center

10/09/202406/04/2019 by jstafford3

By: Cadet Lucas McCune

During National Nurses Week this past May, three Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets visited the Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). The trip to Madigan was sponsored by the nursing team at the 8th ROTC Brigade headquartered at JBLM. Each ROTC battalion in 8th brigade was able to send nursing prospects to participate in the tour. The EWU ROTC battalion sent the most nursing prospects with three Fighting Eagles Cadets, Lucas McCune, Jenna Knight, and Emma LaTour taking advantage of this great opportunity.

From Left: EWU ROTC Cadets Lucas McCune, Jenna Knight, Emma Latour, and Major Myra White the 8th ROTC Brigade nurse.

This tour was the first one the brigade has ever held for Cadets which is why this tour was so special. By the end of the tour, all the Cadets agreed that the trip was invaluable because of the advice they received for their future path in nursing. Not only was the tour beneficial for understanding the duties of army nursing, but a great way to create new bonds between Cadets throughout the brigade.

As the Cadets began to arrive to JBLM on Friday May 10th, they were given time to eat dinner and get to know one another. Shortly after, it was lights out for an early start for the tour of Madigan Hospital the next morning. On the morning of May 11th, the Cadets got ready for the day and were transported to Madigan to begin their tour. Once breakfast had been eaten, the Cadets were given a warm welcome by a few experienced army nurses who would ensure that the duties of Army nurses were understood as well as their specialties.

The tour encompassed a large portion of the hospital. The Cadets began their tour in the Emergency Room which led to the radiology center, intensive care unit, post-anesthesia care unit, as well as patient care rooms and end of life care. Each area of specialty was introduced to the Cadets and explained by a different nurse who worked in that sector. The Cadets were given lots of advice and information on the duties of what each nursing specialty focuses on as well as given time to freely ask questions.

Madigan Army Medical Center via Wikipedia.

As the tour was coming to an end, the cadets were given the opportunity to ask a large variety of Army nurses questions in a panel. Throughout the day, the cadets had been preparing questions to ask to help figure out what path of nursing would suit them best. Here the army nurses offered a variety of experiences and answered questions on the duties of nursing, gave advice through the path of nursing, as well as what to expect on deployments and life as an Army nurse. Cadet Emma LaTour really enjoyed the panel of experienced and new nurses because “we could ask them questions about nursing and at each level they all had something different and helpful to say”.

When the panel ended, the Cadets thanked everyone for taking time out of their day to teach them more about the profession they would be going into. Even though there were many different types of Army nurses, they all shared something in common. It was the “care and compassion that all the nurses and personnel had for their patients,” said Cadet Jenna Knight.

Coming into the tour, most of the cadets knew they wanted to pursue a career in nursing but were not sure what exactly they wanted to do. By the time the tour had come to an end, most of the cadets felt confident in what they wanted to pursue in their near future. On the following morning of May 12th, the Cadets had one last breakfast together and all agreed that this tour was something they hope all future nursing Cadets would get to experience. From the moment the Cadets had arrived to JBLM and left, they had learned so much about their future profession as well as making friendships that would last a lifetime. This tour allowed Cadets to be guided along the daily routines of army nursing as well as begin finding their own path of nursing due to this special opportunity.

For anyone interested in learning more about Army nursing and how to become a nurse through the EWU ROTC program please visit our nursing webpage. The page is filled with information on how to become an Army nurse, scholarship information, and what to expect in the EWU ROTC program.

Go Army Nursing! Go Fighting Eags!

EWU ROTC Cadets Featured on KREM2 News for Memorial Day Support

10/11/202405/28/2019 by jstafford3

Some of our Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets were featured in the KREM2 Spokane news for their Memorial Day support:

MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — Cadets from the Eastern Washington University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) battalion planted flags at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake over Memorial Day weekend.

Seven cadets placed the flags at all of the headstones and saluted each one, according to the EWU website.

“Our EWU ROTC cadets once again demonstrated the real meaning of Memorial Day by supporting the Washington State Veterans Cemetery with preparing for their Memorial Day Ceremony,” EWU ROTC wrote on Twitter. [KREM News]

You can read more at the link.

EWU ROTC Cadets Plant Flags at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Honor of Memorial Day

10/09/202405/26/2019 by jstafford3

One of the Memorial Day activities available to Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) battalion to volunteer for was to plant flags at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake. Seven of our Fighting Eagles Cadets supported the cemetery by planting flags at all the headstones in advance of Memorial Day. The Cadets worked their way around the expansive cemetery planting a flag and saluting each gravestone.

This volunteer initiative is part of the long standing support the EWU ROTC “Fighting Eagles” battalion has provided to the State Veterans Cemetery.

On Monday, May 27th, 2019 the official Memorial Day 2019 Ceremony will begin with a musical prelude at 10:30 AM and the official ceremony beginning at 11:00 AM at the State Veterans Cemetery. For those that have not been to the cemetery before it is located just outside of Medical Lake:

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Parking is available at the cemetery with overflow available along side the entrance road. Great job by our Fighting Eagles Cadets and our lead Cadet volunteer officer, Melinda Leen for helping the State Veterans Cemetery prepare for the ceremony.

From left: Cadets Hewey, Bergman, Erickson, Drohman, Leen, Smart, and Anderson

Fighting Eagles Cadets Commemorate Memorial Day With Fallen Heroes Ceremony

10/02/202405/22/2019 by jstafford3

On May 22nd, 2019 the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) battalion conducted its first of what is planned to be an annual Fallen Heroes Ceremony in rememberance of the 10 former Cadets and 1 Cadre member from EWU that were killed on combat tours. The ceremony was held at the Roos Field football stadium on the Eastern campus.

Cannon Crew members Cadet Bryce and Kyle Stanton salute during the playing of the National Anthem.

The Eastern ROTC program known as the “Fighting Eagles” battalion has been producing leaders for the US military since 1952. In the early years of the program all males that attended Eastern had to enroll for two years into ROTC. This caused the program to have over 1,000 Cadets. With the conclusion of the Vietnam War and the end of mandatory military service, Eastern no longer required all males to enroll in ROTC. Today the battalion maintains a size of approximately 100 Cadets.

MS-IV Cadet Scott Hinshaw served as the narrator for the Fallen Heroes Ceremony.

However, it was during the Vietnam era when the ROTC battalion was at its largest, that the program experienced its combat fatalities. A total of 10x Fighting Eagles alumni and 1x Cadre member from Eastern have been killed in combat during the Vietnam War. Of these heroes, 1x received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, 1x more received the Distinguished Service Cross the nation’s second highest medal for valor, 3x more received Silver Star Medals, the nation’s third highest honor for valor, and 2x more received the Bronze Star, the nation’s fourth highest medal for valor. It is these fallen heroes that we gather here today to commemorate.

Professor of Military Science, LTC Jonathan Stafford addresses the audience during the Fallen Heroes Ceremony.

At the ceremony a Table of Honor was set up with biographical plaques for each of our Fallen Heroes:

Table of Honor with biography for each Fallen Hero.

Below are the Fallen Heroes from the EWU ROTC battalion with the year they graduated or attended ROTC followed by major awards they received:

LTC Bob Gregory – Assistant PMS 1961-1962 (Distinguished Service Cross)
1LT Randall Arney – 1967 Graduate
MAJ Richard Ator – 1962 Graduate (Silver Star & Bronze Star)
PFC Timothy Burchett – ROTC member from 1966-1968 (Silver Star)
SFC Bruce Grandstaff – ROTC member from 1952-1954 (Medal of Honor)
1LT Victor Hodson – 1968 Graduate
1LT Owen McCandlis – 1968 Graduate
1LT Randy Turner – 1968 Graduate (Silver Star)
1LT Richard Walker – 1967 Graduate
1LT William Wall – 1968 Graduate (Bronze Star)
LT Ronald Wolfe – 1961 graduate

During the ceremony a short biography for each Eastern Cadet and Cadre member killed in action was read to the audience. After the completion of the biography, our historic howitzer that saw combat action in the European theater of World War II was fired in their honor. Our cannon is usually fired in support of the home football team, but today it was fired 11 times in honor of our university’s Fallen Heroes.

The Cannon Crew fires our historic World War II pack howitzer.

The casualties of war are not only those who died in battle, but also the families they left behind. President Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, wrote of “…the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom,” in a letter during the Civil War to a mother who lost five sons. Each of the heroes we remembered today all had families that loved them dearly as well.

Please keep them and all the military servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice close to your heart this Memorial Day weekend and throughout the rest of the year.

EWU ROTC Servicemember Recognized as the Greater Spokane Armed Forces Person of the Year

10/04/202405/16/2019 by jstafford3

The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) battalion has a long tradition of commissioning quality officers trained by outstanding Cadre. Today one of our outstanding Cadre members, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jason Hennig demonstrated how talented our Cadre is by being recognized as the Greater Spokane Armed Forces Person of the Year.

This year was the 63rd anniversary of the event that recognizes the outstanding military servicemembers and first responders in the Greater Spokane region. The ceremony was held at the historic Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane. Nominations for the award were solicited from military units from across the Spokane region. All nominees were then interviewed by a panel of volunteer judges comprised of local business leaders and retired military officers. From these interviews the finalists were brought in for a second interview. The finalists were selected by the criteria of: responsibilities and accomplishments, appearance, poise and courtesy, leadership qualities, education and training, decorations, awards and honors, and community involvement and civic activities.

SFC Henning (center) is awarded the Greater Spokane Armed Forces Person of the Year Award

SFC Hennig was the only active duty Army servicemember nominated for the award that has traditionally been won by the Air Force due to the presence of Fairchild Air Force Base located to the west of Spokane. Sergeant First Class Hennig who serves as the Senior Military Science Instructor for the EWU ROTC “Fighting Eagles” battalion, has a long history of outstanding military professionalism. For example, earlier this year he was named the US Army Cadet Command Instructor of the Year out of the 274-ROTC programs across the nation.

ROTC Impact

SFC Hennig has been nothing, but a positive influence on the young men and women that make up the EWU ROTC “Fighting Eagles” battalion. 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 26-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.

From everyone in the ROTC “Fighting Eagles” battalion we wish SFC Hennig a big congratulations for winning this prestigious award and being such a positive representation for the Army and EWU to the local community. A well deserved recognition for a talented and dedicated NCO.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!