Army ROTC Razorback Battalion cadets achieve a lot during the school year between their classes, rigorous ROTC physical training (exercising) and military leadership training and other obligations. During the summer, a lot of the cadets keep busy with additional ROTC training and other activities. This story gives you an idea of what the U of A Army ROTC cadets were up to this summer.

Twenty-five cadets attended Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, this summer, five of whom graduated in the top 15 percent of their class, earning for themselves the rating of Outstanding. Three earned the RECONDO badge (see photo), having scored well on the Army Combat Fitness Test, Land Navigation, First Aid, rifle marksmanship, complete a 12-mile foot march with a 35-pound ruck sack within 3 hours, and other activities. Advanced camp is a month-long rigorous camp that trains and evaluates our future officers in the U.S. Army. Cadets prepare their whole Junior year for this event and always perform well.

Four cadets attended Basic Camp at Fort Knox, a month-long event of training on the basics of being an officer in the Army.

From left: Lt. Col. Sidney Roberts, professor of military science, and cadets with Recondo pins and certificates, Mary Burgess, Nile Hanna, and Quinn Graves, Master Sgt. Jermaine Martin, senior military instructor.

Cadets Christopher Papania and Mary Burgess went to Germany. Cadet Naia Shepherd, from our crosstown school — John Brown University — went to Russia with Project Go. 

Cadet Alex Misenhimer attended Army Space Cadre Basic Course phase 1 & 2 at West Point in New York — our first cadet to attend this school. He's pictured with his patch that he earned. If he later finishes all of the training, he'll earn the Space badge to wear on his Army career uniform.

Cadet Shane Norden is pictured wearing the pin that he will always wear on his uniform throughout his career in the Army because he graduated Air Assault school. Here's the list of cadets who earned that pin this summer and where they attended the school:

• CDT Landrey Sweeney (from NSU) - Fort Moore, Georgia (Formerly Ft. Benning)
• CDT Hayden Young - Fort Moore
• CDT Shane Norden - Fort Campbell, Kentucky
• CDT Kacie Trussell - Fort Campbell

Other training our Cadets attended:

• CDT Quinn Graves - Basic Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont
• CDT Samuel Hamilton - Jungle Operations Training Course, Scholfield Barracks, Hawaii
• CDT Lauren Voelker - Nursing Summer Training Program, Fort Bliss, Texas
• CDT Nick Jaskolski - Cadet Troop Leader Training - Fort Liberty, North Carolina (Formerly Fort Bragg)
• CDT Silas Hill - Cadet Troop Leader Training - Fort Liberty

Find out more information about these schools.

If you are a student at the Fayetteville campus of the University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, John Brown University, North West Arkansas Community College, or Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and you are interested in more information about the Army ROTC program, come see us at the Army ROTC building, located between the Graduate Education Building and Memorial Hall on Maple Street or visit the Army ROTC website at armyrotc.uark.edu. Our phone # is 479-575-4251, or toll free at 866-891-5538.