Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Hello, and welcome to the Forward Together podcast. My guests today are members of the Wichita State Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or rotc. Joining me are Eileen Lynn, Peter Martell, and Reid Hopkins. Welcome to the Forward Together Podcast.
How are y'all doing this afternoon? Thanks for stopping by the podcast. Looking forward to speaking with you about your experience in the ROTC program. So why don't you introduce yourselves real briefly to our listeners who I have sitting here with me.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: I'm Reed Hopkins. I'm a senior here at Wichita State. I'm studying environmental engineering in the applied engineering track. Or applied engineering in the environmental engineering track. That's what it is.
And obviously a minor in. What's it called? Organizational leadership.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: And that's a part of the ROTC program that everybody.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: That's part of the ROTC program.
And when I graduate here in May, I'll be a civil engineer.
[00:01:07] Speaker A: Oh, wow. And you'll be able to be commissioned into the military, is that right? As an officer, yeah. Congratulations.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Where's that? I got engineering, so I'll be an engineer officer as well.
[00:01:18] Speaker A: Okay, great. And Eileen.
[00:01:21] Speaker C: Hello. My name is Eileen, and I'm majoring in marketing with a minor in Multi Organizational leadership. I'm a junior.
[00:01:30] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:32] Speaker D: I'm Peter, and I'm a freshman here studying. I came for cybersecurity, but I just switched to Homeland Security, so it's more in line with what I want to do long term.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: Okay, so senior, Sophomore, Freshman. Junior. That's right. You said Jun. Yeah. All right, so let's just get into some of these questions. I'll start with you, Reid. What led you to choose Wichita State and the ROTC program?
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Honestly, Choosing Witch State. It kind of came down between K State and Wichita State. Originally for engineering, especially civil engineering, but ROTC helped a lot in that.
Really. Due to scholarship money and cost of Wichita State in general, I believe it's still the cheapest college. College.
[00:02:19] Speaker A: Best value.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Best. Yeah. There you go. Best value. And it's pretty close to home. I've got family here, but I'm originally from Western Kansas, so was the closest school at home, too.
[00:02:30] Speaker A: Okay. Whereabouts in Western Kansas?
[00:02:32] Speaker B: Garden City.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: Garden City. Okay. Okay. What about you, Eileen?
[00:02:36] Speaker C: I chose Wichita State because when I was touring my senior year, I just felt like it was for me. I felt like it was what I was looking for. Not a big college, but not too small, just the perfect size. And I was really impressed by the dorms. I know. I've heard a lot of horror stories about dorms, so I was really impressed by how it was split up and all the opportunities offered was just super impressive. And I knew I wanted to be an officer, so the RROTC program was a plus.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: So when did you decide that you wanted to be an officer in the military?
[00:03:19] Speaker C: I went to. So I joined the military my senior year of high school. I went to basic training in ait, the Advanced Individual Training. And then afterwards I had a couple sergeants tell me that I had a lot of the qualities of a officer. And that's when I kind of did my research. And then I was very interested, something I wanted to do. And so ROTC provided that for me because I knew I wanted to get a college education.
[00:03:51] Speaker A: Yeah. And did you tell us where you're from?
[00:03:53] Speaker C: I'm from Abilene, Kansas.
[00:03:55] Speaker A: Abilene. And that's where you went to high school and. Abilene. Okay. Okay. And Peter, tell us about your. Your interest.
[00:04:02] Speaker D: I came to Wichita State. I actually did a gap year after high school, so I had visited ku, but I didn't really like their ROTC program. And then the original reason I came to Wichita State was for cyber, which the program was very new and up to date. I've since then switched, but. And then also I have an older brother who's a senior here, so we're with him again because I'm from outside Bunner Springs, which is like two hours away.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: Yeah, I didn't. I should have said earlier in this conversation that my spouse and I ran with you all at 6 o'clock in the morning. And one of the things that. That you all have to do is keep up your fitness. And I think you at least do that once a week or early in the morning like that.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Yes, sir.
[00:04:48] Speaker A: We need to schedule that again when it gets a little bit warmer in the morning. Are you still doing that when it's cold?
[00:04:53] Speaker B: I think we have one run club left. We can throw another one in if you.
[00:04:56] Speaker A: Okay.
But I was worried because you guys are all young and fit and I'm old and, um, not really that fit and. But you guys, I ran in front of you as you remember, both Rick and I did. And you guys gave me that strength that kept me persevering. And now I know why you all do that in a group because I think that helps the mindset of keeping people moving forward. So.
All right, for our listeners, can you explain what ROTC is and what that means as far as your education? So, Reid, why don't you just tackle that particular question?
[00:05:35] Speaker B: Rotc, it's Reserve Officer Training Corps So you're, it's preparing you to be a leader.
It's oriented towards being a leader in the military for us specifically the Army. But at the same time it also prepares you to be a leader in your everyday career too, which I think it helps a lot.
And then what was the second half of the question again?
[00:05:58] Speaker A: Well, just what's that mean for your leadership opportunities? Kind of talked about that a little bit.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: It's helped me so much. Just I feel like I've grown a ton in the last four years as a leader, so it's been really good for that.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: And, and are. Don't you serve in a leadership role?
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Right now I'm the Battalion S3, so I'm, I'm in charge of planning everything between, like the big events between here at Wichita State and with Pitt State since they're our host school for rotc. But then like the weekly operations too.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: I'm.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: I have a large saying as well. And then last semester it was exo, so I kind of did everything.
[00:06:36] Speaker A: We, we have had ROTC for many years and then it stopped back in the 80s. And then of course we started with our current program, which is a.
You probably know the right word. It's a partnership with Pittsburgh State and their ROTC program. Yeah.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: We're a sister school, so everything we do is through Hit State technically. And we're. They're a host school.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: Yeah. But there's more students here. Yes. How many are in all together together or. Or just at Wichita?
[00:07:07] Speaker B: 49, I think 49 to 50 somewhere in there.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: And then how many total pit stake have.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: I want to say close to a hundred between the two schools.
[00:07:17] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. And I know it's been really been strong since we started it here and a lot of interest.
So you may have already spoke about this, Eileen, but how about telling us a little bit more details? In what ways has Wichita State supported you in your, in your military career so far?
[00:07:35] Speaker C: Wichita State has supported my military career with a strong foundation of education such as the business school. I'm a business student and they provide a lot of leadership classes and that helps me with my leadership in the military and just overall providing me with scholarships and all of that.
[00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah. And whoever can answer this. You all receive a scholarship from the military to be in the program or not every student, but most of the students, yeah.
[00:08:10] Speaker B: It's kind of complicated, but yeah, most, most people receive a scholarship. I think you're on a three year scholarship, Peter.
[00:08:16] Speaker D: Yeah. From the active duty site. So slightly different than these Guys, but.
[00:08:20] Speaker A: So you guys are on the Reserve side or.
[00:08:22] Speaker B: We're both in the National Guard here in Kansas. Mark. Peter, you got a. The national scholarship.
[00:08:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: So you can choose between Army Reserves and active duty.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:08:32] Speaker D: The first four years I'm commissioned, I'll be active duty, and then I'll be able to switch over to reserve if I want to at that point.
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Okay, so let's move on to the next question.
And this is maybe for you, Peter, and you can talk a bit more about this. How has being in the ROTC helped shape you in terms of your overall student experience at the university?
[00:08:57] Speaker D: I'd say ROTC provides a balance as far as keeping me definitely on the physical side of things more in shape. I think a lot of students I talk to are like, how do you find time to do that? And if it's not optional, then you have to do that. And then also just a sense of being connected with a large group of people who are going through a similar experience. You are, with being very busy as a college student and then also having all the army side things.
[00:09:25] Speaker A: And so also curious to know, you know, we have different ROTC programs in the military. You know, Air Force, Navy. Is that right? Navy, Army.
[00:09:38] Speaker B: I think Marines fall under the Navy. Rotc, then Army. Yeah.
[00:09:41] Speaker A: And so why did you all choose Army? What tractor to go down?
[00:09:46] Speaker B: For me, the biggest thing was the fact that I could do National Guard so I could stay in Kansas, serve my two weeks in the. Or two weeks in the summer and one week in a month. That was the biggest thing because I can still have essentially a life at home and work my career field that I want to work.
[00:10:03] Speaker A: What about you, Eileen?
[00:10:04] Speaker C: Kind of the same with him. I think family is everything. So being close to my family was definitely a choice with the Army National Guard, so.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Yeah. And so, Peter, you're in the active side of things, right? So you're May. You probably won't be staying in Kansas when you finish, right? Correct.
[00:10:25] Speaker D: The army, to me, I knew the army because, like, growing up in Kansas there, I didn't have much exposure to, like, the ocean ships, any of that. And then on the army side, specifically within the Special Forces, the Army offers. That's a big interest I have later on down the road.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: Yeah. I don't know if you all know this, but the university has a lot of Department of Defense work that mostly focused around aviation, but also Army. And just a couple of weeks ago, Senator Jerry Moran, who's one of our. Obviously one of our senators in the state Brought the chief of staff of the army to the university.
General George. Randy George.
So I don't know if you receive any kind of communication from him, but you know, he's the top guy the, the army. And you know, I, as a someone who didn't grow up in the military or from a military family, my dad was in the Navy, my uncle was in the Navy. But you know, you have this view of what a general is. He's a great guy. Came in and just really down to earth talking about some really important things and needs that they had that we're helping them with. We do a research for the, for the military to help sustain, you know, equipment and aircraft and you know, land kinds of vehicles that they, that they use in the arming anyway. And it's great that we can be on that side of things, especially myself as a, as a president of the university to help lead those kinds of things to, to help them improve their, their, their experiences.
So, so what advice can you give future students who are considering joining Reid? What you want.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: You say ROTC is a ton of fun. I've, I've gained so many friends through it, lifelong friends too and actually my fiance, who me and her met through rotc. So that's been really cool too.
I think the biggest thing is you're going to make a ton of friends. It's some stuff is gonna suck. Push through the suck. They sounds stupid to say but the saying embrace a suck it, it really is true. Like embrace how much it's gonna suck cuz in the moment it does suck. But looking back, those are some of the most fun memories like I've had in the military or in general.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: And so when you say suck, what do you mean by that?
[00:12:54] Speaker B: Like it's not gonna be fun. You're gonna be. I remember one ftx, I was like, it was raining, we got a bunch of rain and I honestly, I don't think we've had a single FTX where it hasn't rained. So like just being out there, cold, wet, tired, like it's not going to be fun. Embrace that it's not fun. Know that it's not fun. Keep pushing through it and you'll be fine at the end of it.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: Yeah. And so Eileen, what's been one of the biggest challenges for you in the program besides being out in the rain?
[00:13:28] Speaker C: Probably I would say my biggest challenge would be finding my voice and being confident in myself. I definitely tend to be more timid and introverted, but ROTC has given me that opportunity to grow As a leader and to find my voice and become more confident. I know that when I went to basic training, I was not confident in my abilities, and a drill sergeant actually told me that I needed to be more confident to be a leader. So then that's when I kind of started developing more leadership skills. And then ROTC has really given me that opportunity to just be super confident in myself and my abilities.
[00:14:12] Speaker A: And so, Peter, what about you? You're a freshman first year.
How things have been going for you personally and professionally?
[00:14:22] Speaker D: Yeah, within, like being a student for the first time, that obviously comes with its own set of challenges. But then I would say for especially the future, anybody who's looking at going and joining ROTC is the first two weeks of each semester. They throw a lot at you, but once you get through that, there's a lot of fun that can be had on the other side.
And then, you know, there's 50 cadets in the program, so you automatically are introduced to 50 new people in this place where you don't know anybody yet.
[00:14:51] Speaker A: Mm.
[00:14:52] Speaker D: My biggest challenge, though, probably be the time management just in the starting and figuring it all out.
[00:14:59] Speaker A: Mm. Yeah. Cause you all. You all obviously have your fitness and what did you call that? There was some.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: It's pt.
[00:15:06] Speaker A: Pt.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: The run. The run thing you did with this was Run club.
[00:15:10] Speaker A: Okay. But you. Some. You said something X.
FTX Field training exercise. Okay. Yeah.
At that particular aspect, you have to do outside of your classroom activities and even some of the ROTC work that you do. And what are some other things you have to do in an extracurricular way that eats up some of your time?
[00:15:34] Speaker B: For me, I know I did. And Peter does it, too. Ranger challenge. That's a. That's a big one within rotc. And it's kind of your. I don't. You probably have a better say since you're in it right now.
[00:15:45] Speaker D: Uh, it's like the varsity competition of rotc. So if ROTC was a sport, that would be the way you compete. So we can go to different forts and compete in basic warrior tasks and then physical competitions like long rucks, which is where you carry a big backpack over a set amount of time. It's usually a race, too, so the faster you are, the better.
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Um, so, I mean, it's interesting some of the kinds of things that you do that. That help you build those leadership skills and those fitness skill skills.
What's your favorite thing that you've done being an ROTC student?
[00:16:25] Speaker B: My favorite thing would honestly be training with special forces. I got to because I did Ranger challenge my first two years of school, I got to go train with Special Forces in South Carolina as their like they were Special Forces candidates. So it was the last thing they had to do before they graduated school to become a Green Beret and we got to train alongside them. They had to train us and how they do everything. And it was two weeks long. It was a lot of fun.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: Yeah. And that going through those kind of trainings like what you were just describing, Peter, that gives you some a different leg up and certain kinds of not promotions. I don't know if that's what it's called in rotc, but it gives you leg up in terms of where you go if you.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: They call it OML order Meritless. And it's basically a big scoring sheet between us. And like everyone in the whole country, they put on this OML list and it affects where you like. For Peter specifically, it would affect whether he actually does get active duty or not because he can still get reserves. And then it affects what career you get. So engineer, field artillery, infantry, medical, whatever you want.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: So. Yeah. So you're going to be an engineer when you graduate.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: Eileen, what are you hoping to be?
[00:17:43] Speaker C: I'm hoping to be Adjunct General, which is human resources. But I would like to later on go into public affairs.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Okay.
And then Peter, what about you?
[00:17:54] Speaker D: Right now the current course is infantry. That puts me closest to my long term goals in Special operations.
[00:18:00] Speaker A: Okay. So so long term beyond that, you're still figure that out. And so you, you, you're, you're. Sounds like you're planning a long career in the middle and being active duty in the military.
[00:18:14] Speaker D: That's the current plan. Yes. I mean I'm not in there yet. We'll see how I like many opportunities.
[00:18:19] Speaker A: Well, I always enjoy going to the commissioning ceremony.
I don't know if you all have been at those.
It's just a great thing to see the students finish and get recognized there and emotional for all those students because it's quite an accomplishment. Well, that's all the questions I have. Do you have anything else you want to want to say or that I haven't said or that I should be pointing out anything?
[00:18:51] Speaker C: Irene, you asked what is the best advice we have through students. I would say just do it.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:58] Speaker C: Because if like I know when I first joined ROTC I had a lot of hesitations. I didn't know if I wanted to do it. But honestly, there's no obligation at the very start, like your freshman and sophomore year, there's no obligation. You don't have to do it. It's just a, you get to get a free feel free feel of it. And then after that you get to choose if you actually want to commit. But it's honestly super great. I love all the people. They have given me a lot of friendships, a lot of community. I know that coming to a new town is scary, really, really scary. But just having a community that supports you in everything is very life changing in that college experience.
[00:19:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I think that's a good way to leave it. So just do it. That's the let's, let's leave it at that. So thanks for stopping by the podcast and we wish you all the best and looking forward to seeing it. Seeing you, each of you at your commissioning ceremonies in the upcoming years and this May for you, for Reed. All right, thanks for being here. Thank you, thank you. And thank you all for listening. And be sure to rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen to the Forward Together podcast Go Shockers.
[00:20:29] Speaker B: Sponsorship for the Forward Together podcast is provided by Scott Rice officeworks and the Shocker Store.
Additional thanks to Nair Amp WSU Carpentry Shop and go Create.
