This week’s blog post is going to be all about the academic class component of Army ROTC.

Alongside all of the hands-on training we do, all Army ROTC cadets have a traditional classroom lecture as well taught by our cadre, who are current members of the Army. We take one class per semester, meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and fifteen minutes in the Wagner building, which is where all of Penn State ROTC has their classes. All of the classes are classified under ARMY. So far I have taken ARMY 101 and I am in ARMY 102 currently. Each class has its own specialty in the Army ROTC curriculum. They are:

ARMY 101: U.S. Army Organization and Functions

ARMY 102: The Military Profession: Leadership and Management Theory

ARMY 203: Army Operations: Tactics and the Principles of War

ARMY 204: Land Navigation: Topographic Maps and Orienteering

ARMY 301: Advanced Principles of Leadership and Management

ARMY 302: Advanced Principles of Military Leadership and Combat Operations

ARMY 401: Organizational Behaviors: Interrelationships of Directing Staffs and Staff Functions

ARMY 402: Army Personnel Management and Logistics

ARMY 496: Independent Studies (Optional)

The different years of Army ROTC are represented by Military Science levels. Your first year of ROTC is your MSI year, second is MSII, third is MSIII and fourth is MSIV. Some people who join during their sophomore year take MSI and MSII level classes at the same time in order to catch up.

The uniform for class is the Army OCP uniform. On Tuesdays we wear the uniform just to Army class. On Thursdays we wear the uniform all day to all of our classes. If you’re ever in a lecture and see someone wearing a uniform, odds are they are in ROTC and have to wear that all day that day.

Because I am in the MSI class, or “kindergarten of the Army” as our cadre like to call it, we are learning very basic stuff. Some things so far have been drill movements, weapons, map reading, tactical movements, and tactical combat casualty care. However the Army is not all about knowing how to shoot an M4. There is also a great deal of content on things like leadership styles, time management, moral values, critical thinking, and communication. This aspect of Army ROTC is very important because we are being trained to be good leaders and that requires a lot of personal discipline, people skills, and problem-solving.

What is interesting about our Army classes is that a lot of what we learn will be further tested out in the field, during our leadership labs. I am going to make a separate post on those, but basically during labs we practice things we learn in the classroom. For example, one class was a lesson on map reading, land navigation, and orienteering. Then, lab that Thursday was all about using a map and finding points around campus. Also, one time we we learned all about reacting to fire and the different techniques to keep your soldiers safe. Then during lab we ran through many scenarios where we were taking fire and had to react differently every time. I like this about Army ROTC because it implements lessons better than just taking a paper-and-pencil test on it.

Overall, Army class is where we learn all of the fundamental information needed in order to be successful outside of the classroom. As I progress in the program the classes will begin to get more specific and in-depth on certain topics. I am excited to learn even more about the things that will help me excel when it comes time to serve.