The 2019 Randy Van Turner ROTC Scholarship was issued this week to Cadet Kylie Crooks. Kylie is an incoming MS-IV Cadet with the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. The scholarship is in honor of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity’s EWU chapter co-founder First Lieutenant Randy Turner. Randy was a 1968 graduate from the EWU ROTC program who was a recipient of the Silver Star and was killed in action in 1969 during the Vietnam War.
Cadet Kylie Crooks (center) is pictured with members of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and the EWU Professor of Military Science.
This year his fraternity brothers decided to honor his service by establishing an ROTC scholarship program. The scholarship is awarded to EWU ROTC Cadets that demonstrate academic excellence, high physical fitness, leadership, and financial need. Through a board process, Cadet Crooks was chosen as our second 2019 Randy Van Turner ROTC Scholarship recipient. Cadet Crooks is studying nursing and is on pace to graduate with honors. She has also shown a high level of physical fitness by scoring a maximum 300 on her Army Physical Fitness Test.
Kylie also recently completed ROTC Advanced Camp where she received the highest rating of “Outstanding”. Besides being a Cadet, Kylie also serves as a watercraft engineer in the U.S. Army Reserve’s 467th Transportation Company.
Cadet Crooks after completing a 12-mile road march.
The scholarship worth $7,545 will pay her full tuition next year as she pursues her nursing degree and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Congratulations to Cadet Crooks for being awarded the Randy Van Turner ROTC Scholarship and a big thank you to Pi Kappa Alpha for sponsoring this scholarship in support of our outstanding EWU ROTC Cadets.
Our Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets continue to arrive at Ft. Knox, Kentucky to attend Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is Cadet Command’s premier annual training event that assesses Cadets on their ability to conduct basic officer leadership tasks. Cadets usually attend Advanced Camp during the summer between their junior and senior years of college. Passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.
From Left: Jacob Villasenor, Hunter Smith, Austin Bristow arrive for inprocessing at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.
The latest EWU ROTC “Fighting Eagles” Cadets to arrive at Advanced Camp are Jacob Villasenor, Hunter Smith, and Austin Bristow. They are part of the 10th Regiment at Advanced Camp. Another addition to our Cadet Summer Training team is Cadet Michael Beier. He is an MS-II Cadet that volunteered to go to camp as an Opposing Force (OPFOR) participant. During field training exercises the OPFOR role play enemy soldiers for the Cadets being assessed to engage.
EWU ROTC Cadet, Michael Beier begins inprocessing at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.
Our final EWU ROTC Cadets will be arriving on July 12th for the start of the 11th and final Regiment of Advanced Camp. Best of luck to all of our Fighting Eagles Cadets attending summer training.
This summer Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) have been participating in ROTC Advanced Camp held every summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Advanced Camp is Cadet Command’s premier annual training event that assesses Cadets on their ability to conduct basic officer leadership tasks. Cadets usually attend Advanced Camp during the summer between their junior and senior years of college. Passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.
EWU ROTC Cadets in 6th Regiment: (From Left) Megan Baker, Austin Pfennig, & Chad Triplett.
One of the most important tasks Cadets must excel at during Advanced Camp is the Field Training Exercise (FTX). The FTX assesses Cadets on their leadership abilities while executing small unit tactics such as ambushes, raids, and recons.
EWU ROTC Cadet Megan Baker during FTX preparation at ROTC Advanced Camp.
Despite hot and humid conditions Cadets from the EWU ROTC battalion, assigned to 6th Regiment ROTC Advanced Camp were in high spirits this 4th of July as they made their final preparations for their FTX. Cadets Megan Baker, Austin Pfennig, and Chad Triplett participated in finalizing platoon standard operating procedures (SOPs), conducting platoon rehearsals, and platoon formations and orders of movement. Even though it was a busy 4th of July holiday for the 6th Regiment Cadets, they did get a chance to see some of the Ft. Knox fireworks show.
The 2020 Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) National Scholarship season has begun. Army ROTC National Scholarships are for qualified high school seniors planning to attend a four-year university and are interested in training to become a future officer in the U.S. Army. If you have already graduated high school please contact the Eastern Washington University (EWU) ROTC office because we have other scholarship options available.
Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component (Army Reserve or Army National Guard)
If you meet the basic requirements, below are the instructions on how to apply for a ROTC National Scholarship. You can get about 75% of the application completed in under an hour.
ROTC National Scholarship Process:
Step #1: You need to complete an on-line application that you can access through this link. Applicants must initiate the on-line application by 4 February 2020. Remember your login and password for your cadet portal. Your login is the email you use to establish your account.
Step #2: Submit high school transcripts (at least through junior year) and SAT or ACT scores. You can upload PDFs through your account in the Cadet portal.
Step #3: Take the ROTC Basic Fitness Test. A coach or PE teacher can administer this for you.
Step #4: Conduct an interview at one of the university ROTC programs (ideally where your first choice of college is). We can do this any time here at Eastern after you start the on-line application. We are more than willing to conduct a Skype interview if you live several hours away. Please reach us through our Contact page or call 509-359-6110 to setup an interview.
ROTC National Scholarship Timeline
The Army understands high school students could still be in the process of taking SATs and ACTs during their senior year. Because of this the Army has three different boards that meet throughout the year to select ROTC scholarship winners. Below is the board timeline.
1st Board
(Note: The first board dates were moved up to December, they were originally in October)
02 December 2019: All four steps listed above must be completed on the GoArmy site before this date to be considered by the first board. The application will not be considered if any of the steps are not completed. A benefit of completing the ROTC packet in time for the first board is that even if your packet is not selected it will be looked at again by the second and third boards thus increasing your chances of receiving a scholarship.
09 December 2019: This is the date that the first board convenes and reviews every packet that was submitted by the 02 December 2019 deadline.
2nd Board
28 December 2019: All four steps listed above must be completed on the GoArmy site before this date to be considered by the second board. The application will not be considered if any of the steps are not completed. A benefit of completing the ROTC packet in time for the second board is that even if your packet is not selected it will be looked at again by the third board thus increasing your chances of receiving a scholarship.
13-17 January 2020: This is the date that the second board convenes and reviews every packet that was submitted by the 06 January 2019 deadline.
4 February 2020: This is the deadline to initiate new 2019-2020 ROTC scholarship applications. If an application is not initiated by1159pm EST it will not be considered by the final board. Those who already have an application open can continue to modify it passed this deadline.
4 March 2020: This is the deadline to complete all edits to your online ROTC scholarship application. All edits must be complete by1159pm EST. After this date you will only be able to upload supporting documentation.
3rd Board
09 March 2020: All four steps listed above must be completed on the GoArmy site before this date to be considered by the third board. The application will not be considered if any of the steps are not completed.
23-27 March 2020: Board convenes and runs until every packet that was board ready by the start of the board, has been reviewed.
Please view the below video for more information about submitting an ROTC scholarship application.
ROTC Scholarship Selection
Selection for ROTC scholarships are highly competitive and at EWU ROTC we recommend getting your application complete and seen in time for the second board. The majority of scholarships are issued from the second and third boards and getting the application complete by the second board will increase your chances of receiving a scholarship. Decisions on the scholarships awarded are usually released two to four weeks after each board. Periodically check the Selection Status tab on your GoArmy application to see if you were selected.
2019 ROTC National Scholarship recipient to Eastern Washington University received scholarship benefits worth $77,000.
If you were not selected after the third board do not give up hope of receiving a scholarship. There is a secondary process for applicants to earn a scholarship. Any ROTC program can make an alternate offer to applicants that were not offered a national award. We get most of our new, incoming freshman on scholarships using this alternate process. Applying for the national scholarship is simply the first step. It is very simple and easy for us to make an alternate offer, but you first have to put together the ROTC application.
Please contact the EWU ROTC office for any additional details about how the scholarship selection process works.
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Keep up-to-date on all the latest news and notes from the EWU ROTC program and Cadet Command in general by subscribing to our website using the sign up widget in the right sidebar. You can also follow EWU ROTC at the below social media channels:
Remember if you have any questions about the ROTC National Scholarship process, please leave a comment, contact our office, or reach out to us through our social media sites. We are here to help and want you to be as successful as possible to receive an Army ROTC scholarship.
This summer seven Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program were selected for Cadet Command sponsored internships. Our first Cadet, Sarah Mullen recently returned from her nursing internship at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland just outside of Washington, D.C. Our next Cadet, Josiah Bryan departed for his nursing internship on June 30th at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Ft. Bliss, Texas.
Cadet Josiah Bryan
For the next month Cadet Bryan will learn all the roles and responsibilities of being a nurse while being under the supervision of an experienced Army Nurse Corps Officer. He will also obtain hands on experience in various clinical specialties such as labor and delivery, pediatrics, emergency room, etc. Cadet Bryan’s internship is part of the Nurse Summer Training Program. This program selects qualified nursing Cadets to intern at Army Medical Department (AMEDD) hospitals around the world.
The William Beaumont Army Medical Center is not only one of the largest buildings in El Paso, TX, but also one of the larger hospitals in the U.S. Army. It has over one million square feet of floor space and sees an average of 3,200 patients every day. Presently, there are 70 physicians in training, 27 interns and 43 residents at the hospital. There are also more than 100 officers and enlisted Soldiers training in other medical specialties on any given day.
William Beaumont Army Medical Center
EWU ROTC wishes Cadet Bryan all the best during his nursing internship.
For anyone interested in becoming an Army Nurse the EWU ROTC program has a long and successful history of commissioning nurses into the Army. You can read more about our program and the pay and benefits of being an Army nurse at the below link:
One of our Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadet’s was spotted by the Cadet Command cameras exiting the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Chamber at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Can anyone spot our Fighting Eagles Cadet in the below picture?:
Those with a keen eye should have noticed Cadet Megan Baker exiting the CBRN Chamber towards the back of the photo:
Cadet Baker is currently participating in Advanced Camp which is Cadet Command’s premier annual training event. Advanced Camp is a requirement for all Cadets to pass in order to commission as Army officers. At Advanced Camp, Cadets are trained and assessed on their ability to conduct basic officer leadership tasks. One of those tasks is how to react in a CBRN environment. While in the CBRN chamber the Cadets were tested on their ability to put their mask on in under nine seconds and their suits in under eight minutes before exiting the chamber and removing their masks to experience sniffing in the tear gas. Cadets typically attend Advanced Camp between their Junior and Senior years of college. Excelling at the 37-day Advanced Camp is why the Fighting Eagles battalion conducts challenging training to prepare our MS-III Cadets for camp.
EWU ROTC wishes Cadet Baker all the best as she moves towards completion of Advanced Camp 2019. Go Fighting Eags!
