ROTC Cadets Experience Deployment Exercise Nov. 14-16

VALDOSTA - Cadets from Valdosta State University's Air Force ROTC Detachment 172 will put the classroom-learned skills to the test during the annual deployment exercise this Friday through Sunday, Nov. 14-16.

More than 90 ROTC students will experience simulated combat during the paintball-style exercise Friday night. Personnel from Moody Air Force Base will join the cadets Saturday for special sessions on survival skills, navigation and hand-to-hand combat. The weekend exercise will give them the opportunity to practice leadership and teamwork skills as well as exercise problem solving techniques in a battlefield setting.

Active duty cadre members will lead the cadets through the weekend lessons. Capt. Paul McArtor, Commandant of Cadets, said the small-scale exercise is one of the biggest moral builders of the year for the detachment, which now includes more than 140 cadets at various academic levels.

“The DepEx provides an opportunity to get cadets out of the classroom and into the field," McArtor said. "It gives thesse cadets insight into how the lessons they learn in AFROTC will be applied to active duty Air Force; it also gives them a chance to test themselves and build confidence.”

Last year's exercise had the largest turnout ever. McArtor said the significant increase in ROTC enrollment this fall along with the high level of excitement among cadets should make for an even more impressive exercise.

The mission of Air Force ROTC is to develop future leaders for tomorrow's Air Force. The program is open to all accredited majors and scholarships are available. Program graduates receive knowledge, leadership skills and quality education before entering the Air Force as an officer. For more information on VSU’s Air Force ROTC program and Detachment 172, visit www.valdosta.edu/afrotc or contact Capt. Tim Bazzle, at (229) 333-5954.