Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project. Click here for the first story in the the collection. Scroll below to read Krysten Warren's look at ROTC life.

It’s Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC

By Krysten Warren

Old Dominion University

Five a.m. Monday the alarms go off. 

Jessica Martin, 21, wakes up. 

She gets dressed and drives to campus for physical training (pt) with her company.  They complete tough abdominal and strength workouts and finish with a minimum two mile run.  She gets into her car, drives home, and showers. 

When 8 a.m. rolls around, Jessica must get dressed, eat breakfast, and drive back to campus to sit through multiple classes.  Her classes usually end by 2 p.m. and from there she goes to her part-time job. 

Jessica works approximately five hours waiting tables and drives home to start on her homework.  By 8 p.m. she begins her school work, eats dinner, studies, and goes to bed.  Tuesday, she wakes up to do it all over again. 

This is a midshipman’s life.

“The day-to-day activities that involve class, pt, studying, and volunteering only prove monotonous and time consuming,” said Jessica. 

With the 12-working-hours-in-a-day schedule for most military students, approximately two-thirds of that time is spent on campus or studying for classes.  Many lack the opportunity to relax and spend time with their families.  They are focused on school work and meeting the requirements for graduation; yet, the amount of time and effort put forth has its rewards.  Military students who are attached to a unit are on a career path to commission into the service as junior officers.

Military students are cadets, midshipman, and officer candidates who attend college to receive a bachelor’s degree; they ultimately commission as officers into their respective services fulfilling an honored tradition.  The Navy and Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) programs at many colleges and universities nationwide offer several full ride scholarships to selected high school students and prior enlisted personnel ages ranges from 18 to 35.

According to the 2007 annual report from the Navy ROTC (NROTC) director in Pensacola, Fl, over 2000 selected students entered the NROTC program in 2007.  These students were accepted into the Naval Academy or other colleges and universities beforehand. 

There are issues and uncertainties that have students anxious and excited at the Navy ROTC unit at Old Dominion University. In particular, students voice some concerns about life after graduation. 

Senior James McDonald, 28 (a pseudonym is used for all students mentioned in this piece) said that he has to deal with, “Moving, finding a place to live, enrolling my child in school, buying uniforms, and passing the military schools I will have to attend.”  He claimed that he was ready to move forward and take on a new chapter of his career, but he cannot avoid the possible road blocks ahead such as finding his spouse a new job or new church to attend.

Another senior, Marissa Finnegan, 30, said that the hardest issue was “having to spend more time away from my family and work longer hours to qualify for my Surface Warfare Qualification pin.” 

More negative issues that students mentioned included an increase in stress levels, a continuum of poor time management habits and passing flight school, and future deployments.  Some students, though showing signs of anxiety, indicated they were not scared of the challenge and would persist. Perhaps that’s because, once they are commissioned, students will have a stable healthcare plan, increased financial income, and the guarantee of leading men and women in the services.

For most military students the amounts of pay will double or even triple for those who do not currently work.  The military also offers additional income for various expenses and benefits such as housing, uniforms, and deployment.

With all these benefits comes a key challenge -- leading enlisted personnel will be one of the main duties of these new junior officers. 

Sophomore Jose Valdez, 26 claimed that, “With all the negative energy radiating out there, many troops can lose motivation and become discouraged. It will be one of our jobs as junior officers to keep our troops focused and keep their heads in the game.”   This could be seen as a negative concern for most students who have not interacted frequently with enlisted personnel.  Also, exhibiting leadership and management capabilities will require knowledge and a sense of balance that may not have been covered adequately in their program training.

The family members and friends of the newly commissioned officers understand the challenges their loved ones face. Marissa Finnegan’s husband Steven, 34, stated that, “I am proud of my wife and her accomplishments.  She is doing what makes her happy and she actually likes her job.”  He affirmed that he was once in the military himself and understands the stress and demand it takes on a person and their family. 

A friend of many junior midshipmen, Kathleen Franklin, 20, said that, “I am going to miss them all, but I know that they are joining and serving our country out of the love and pride they share with most Americans.”

She discussed possible dangers her friends will encounter. “The world in general is a risk,” she said.  “We’ve been in school and have not yet experienced what the ‘real world’ is like. I feel that some who commission will take it well and adapt, but I also think some will be overwhelmed.” 

But what happens once they commission as officers and realize that their life at school was only a small part of their real job?  What prepares one for the situations and challenges that he or she will face in the real military? 

Their days will extend to longer shifts, harder examinations both physically and mentally, and more time spent away from home.  These students who graduate and relocate to ships, squadrons, and combat units have more to deal with than what is taught and absorbed during the four years of college. 

Said Mark Walls, 22, a former ROTC midshipman, “It’s a tough job in the real military. Here we are just playing Navy.  As midshipman the only things we could count on to matter once we graduate is our GPA and physical training aptitude scores.” 

Based on the 2006 annual report for ROTC programs, applicants are selected for the scholarship based on high school indicators like GPA, extracurricular activities, field of study, SAT or ACT scores, and class ranking.  It makes sense for this tradition to carry through college graduation; GPA is used to place Ensigns into their job field.

An active member of the ROTC who receives a military scholarship is basically guaranteed a commission as long as they maintain the standards set forth by the ROTC programs.  The number of classes, amount of physical training, volunteer hours, and possible part-time jobs adds to the list.  From freshmen to senior year, students must learn to adapt to the program and complete the requirements for graduation. 

“Students in college learn how to study and how to control of themselves. Once they graduate, they then apply those study habits and time management skills to their jobs,” said Navy Lieutenant Michael Jones, 27, a Naval Science teacher at Old Dominion University who also commissioned from the ROTC program. New ROTC students need to “Practice good study habits; learn to how to learn and how to get information from others,” he said.

The soon-to-be junior officers are currently studying, training, attending classes, volunteering and spending what little time they have with family and friends.  They are learning the importance of time management, multitasking, and responsibility.  They are being stretched in many directions for program requirements and future career qualifications; not to mention military students undergo university demands as well.

Currently all military students are full-time students and full-time military.  There are different aspects of the program that demand time and effort from students.  Not only are they required to take classes to graduate but they must take a certain number of military classes. 

 “Sleep deprivation, motivation, and military bearing are all areas that I am struggling with,” said Matthew Smith, 25.  School work and family life have begun to take a strain on him and it may only worsen after he commissions, he said. 

Along with the added activities that are required, physical training and volunteering within the units demands more time and effort. 

Midshipman Heidi Black, 20, said that, “We have so many other things to commit to that I find myself forgetting about the importance of ME time.  I have not stopped studying to relax since the semester began.” 

This was not the only concern that the students mentioned.  Another prior enlisted member from the Army ROTC program, Andrew Lancaster, 29, said that, “I have to spend most of my time balancing between my family and school; I sometimes have to sacrifice family time to meet the needs of the program.”

For midshipman and cadets in the ROTC programs, even the summers afford only limited breaks. One month is completely devoted to hands-on training.  Each summer, the students engage in real-life situations and learn about different jobs. They interact with enlisted personnel, higher ranking officers, and training environments.  Most of the training is simulated and controlled, but the hands-on factor allows in-depth learning.  Students find this part of the program most exciting.  The exposure to a-day-in-the-life offers them the chance to determine their own career path.

“This past summer I went on an aviation cruise where I flew in an EA-6B Prowler.  It was such a great once in a lifetime experience and even though I have decided not to fly, I am glad I got the chance,” said Midshipman Ryan Anderson, 19.

All training and educating of the students must ultimately push them toward their commissioning.  Graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree and going on to a guaranteed job is the objective.  Students who struggle in college, yet make it, are triumphant because they have learned to persevere and face all challenges Navy Officer Lt.

Marie Fisher, 33, said that, “Students here go through a lot only to make them better officers in the future.  They undergo long days and long hours so that they can learn to adapt to the strict hours that officers face on a daily basis."

She said the normal day begins at 5 a.m. and usually ends no later than 5 p.m.  That is something that midshipman Jessica Martin can at least take some comfort in throughout her 12-hour days – according to the NROTC, she is living a life that is normal.

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