Pointers!
I hope the first half of the semester went well. I can’t believe we’re already half way done with the second semester!
Another ROTC competition has started training for battle. GAFMPB (German Armed Forces Military Proficiency Badge) is a competition held in April at Marquette University where we compete against other schools to try to get as many gold badges as we can. There are multiple events that determine what color badge you receive (bronze, silver or gold): a flexed arm hang where you hold your chin above the pull-up bar for as long as you can; an 11×10 sprint where you have to lay on your stomach, clap behind your back, get up and sprint to and around the cone, come back to the mat and do it 11 times; a 1,000m run; a first aid test; a 100m swim with your uniform on; a pistol shoot where you try to get 5 hits out of 5 shots on a 25m target; and a ruck march that varies in length depending on how well you shot.
I participated in this event last year and received a silver badge, so this year, I’m going for gold (literally)!
On Friday we had our IFTX (Internal Field Training Exercise) where we conducting night land navigation and two STX (Squad Training Exercise) lanes. Night land nav was pretty difficult, but really tested us.
As juniors, we were told to go out by ourselves with a map, compass and a protractor and find at least seven points at about 5 a.m. The freshmen and sophomores were paired up with each other and sent out to do the same.
We were then released to go to any Friday classes that they may have had then required to come back at 4 p.m. to run the STX lanes where some people were put in leadership positions and put through scenarios that put to the test what we have been learning in our classes.
It was very interesting to see how different people handled different situations. It gave me a new perspective on how things could be done, showed me that there are a variety of ways to do the same thing and that there is no 100% right way to do something. Overall, Friday was a very fun and educational day!
Finally, for the most fun part of the weekend; Military Ball! Saturday we held the 47th Annual UW-Stevens Point Military Ball and, boy was it ever a ball (pun intended). Mil Ball is a time when all of the cadets, cadre, their families and special guests get together to celebrate the hard work and achievements that the cadets have accomplished this year. This event is full of traditions and ceremonies. We eat dinner, hand out awards and then have a dance party after; it really is fun.
I was in charge of making the center pieces, saber arch (the tunnel of swords that the seniors walk under when they get introduced) and creating the playlist for dancing. The pressure was on but everything went off without a hitch!
I was awarded the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) Award, and the Linda Burch Memorial Scholarship. Out of the 27 Cadets in our program, 23 of them were given awards. I could not be more proud of everyone who received these awards.
This past weekend was filled with rough and tough land navigation and STX lanes followed by a fun and proper night at Military Ball, but that’s the Army for you!
I hope you all have an amazing spring break and really enjoy your time off.
Until next time! Pointers Lead the Way!
Cadet Newell
Rilee Newell is a cadet in the UW-Stevens Point ROTC program. She is majoring in sociology with an emphasis in deviance and social control with minors in military science and peace studies.