by KELLI FONTENOT
Published Oct. 29, 2008 in The Current Sauce
Leanne Taylor, a sophomore psychology major, stretched her legs one Tuesday morning before a two-mile run test, keeping her muscles active for the brisk jog ahead.
Running won't be a huge part of her work after college - she plans to fly helicopters for active duty in the Army - but she said she appreciates the chance to stay in shape. She takes regular physical fitness tests to maintain her Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship requirements.
The Army ROTC elective curriculum at NSU prepares students to be commissioned as officers in the military once they graduate.
Among many other skills, cadets learn how to approach their opponents without detection and communicate with their peers as leaders.
Taylor, a Houston native, races with the NSU crew and works out on her own in addition to her physical training (PT) sessions with ROTC.
She wakes up at 5 a.m. to do sit-ups, push-ups and laps with the other cadets.
Even after years of training, Taylor still does not consider herself a morning person.
"Once you get up and you do it, you're like, 'Oh, I'm really glad I did that,' but the getting up part kind of sucks," Taylor said.
Kimberly Crosby, a freshman chemistry major originally from Shreveport, said she spends a lot of time in the armory outside of PT and class, but that she has come a long way since her modest beginnings as a junior ROTC cadet in high school. Her intentions weren't as serious as those of her peers, either.
"Honestly, it was to skip out on gym," Crosby said. "That's the honest truth. But it turned out to be a good decision, and I liked it."
Crosby said all of her best friends are in ROTC, and she feels like they have a family connection.
Like Crosby, Taylor says she relies on her fellow cadets for support and friendship.
"There's always someone you can call or someone to help you out with whatever you need," Taylor said.
A few weeks ago, Taylor went mudriding with a group of friends and got stuck in the dirt. The group called an ROTC cadet who helped tow the truck out of the mud.
"That was the first time I've ever done it, and probably the last time," Taylor said.
Taylor was a junior ROTC cadet in high school. She enrolled at NSU when she heard about the aviation science program here, but switched to psychology because she found it interesting.
She has been racing rowboats anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000 meters with the NSU Crew since the spring of her freshman year, when she decided she wanted to take a physically challenging exercise course.
She enjoys both crew and ROTC, but said she thinks ROTC is more difficult because it requires a greater commitment.
"In crew, you just - the physical element is there, and in ROTC there's a physical element, mental element and scholastic element," Taylor said.
In addition to the physical requirements of ROTC, Taylor and the other cadets participate in fundraising events and community service projects with the D.O.V.E.S., Inc. foundation, a nonprofit domestic violence shelter in Natchitoches.
Capt. Jaison Koonankeil said the group has also worked with local churches on various service projects.
Koonankeil accompanied the ROTC cadets on their six-mile run across campus one Thursday morning, inching along slowly in a large van. When a cadet stressed a leg injury, Koonankeil pulled over and picked her up.
Koonankeil said this year's group is cohesive and the cadets rarely complain about their work.
This experience will prepare them for their future duties as Army officers, he said.
Koonankeil arrived at NSU to work with the Army ROTC in September, but before that he spent five years in Germany and two years in Iraq as an active duty officer. He returned to America in October of 2007.
Upperclassmen hold leadership positions that prepare them for their post-graduation offices.
They guide the younger cadets, building up their confidence for tough events like the recent Ranger Challenge, a competition for which cadets run, navigate through obstacle courses and test their mental abilities.
"The Rangers are an elite group of infantry people. They're like the best of the regular Army. They're like infantrymen who carry everything on their back to accomplish their goal," Koonankeil explained. "Everything they do is physically tough, but also mentally tough."
The mental stimulation of the Ranger Challenge prepares students who plan to seek positions in the FBI and White House communications, Koonankeil said.
Applicants for these jobs are typically expected to provide college transcripts with letters of recommendation, and participation in the Challenge gives officers a concrete example of the cadets' work.
Riley Pendleton, a freshman general studies major, said he has not yet decided on his career path, but that military intelligence is on his list of options. With a class load of just 13 hours this semester, he spends most of his time focusing on his work with the ROTC.
"I'm kind of taking it easy this year, getting used to it - college and everything," Pendleton said.
The Ranger Challenge was intimidating for Pendleton, who said he wished the training for it would have started up earlier in the semester.
"It's pretty intense, like four miles of running. I wasn't really prepared for it this year, but next year I'm going to do it," Pendleton said.
There are about 54 cadets total in the ROTC program, including students at campuses in Shreveport and Leesville, Koonankeil said. The bulk of their education takes place at Thursday lab classes, when the students can meet on the Natchitoches campus.
Contracted cadets essentially agree to become officers in the Army and receive a scholarship, but non-contract cadets - usually freshmen and sophomores, Koonankeil said - are sometimes unsure of whether the Army is right for them. These students can experience the curriculum and benefit from PT while they decide. This year's group will be well-prepared for whatever comes after graduation, he said.
"They know they're about to enter the Army, and they know they're about to be officers, so they work hard to achieve that goal, but they're still able to have fun doing it. It's a good atmosphere," Koonankeil said.
