Army ROTC is more than just a way to "get involved" on Auburn's campus, it is an opportunity to be trained in skills that can be used throughout a lifetime.
The War Eagle Battalion, Auburn's branch of Army ROTC, is consistently rated as one of the top programs in the Sixth Brigade, which includes 39 schools located in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida.
Auburn's Army ROTC received the highest leadership rankings of the brigade as well.
One common misconception about the ROTC program is that students who enroll will be required to commit to the military, but in fact, students can enroll in a military science course without any sort of obligation.
The Military Science/Army ROTC courses focus on educating the students in leadership skills, time management, organization, assertiveness, confidence, decision making in high-pressure situations and communication skills.
Lt. Col. Richard Hoerner is the commander of the War Eagle Battalion that includes 166 cadets this year.
"When students in ROTC get to be seniors, they have a lot expected of them," Hoerner said. "We let the seniors be in charge of planning out every part of our events or trips that we take."
Hoerner said being in ROTC is a big job, but is not without reward. Students who graduate from the ROTC program are commissioned as lieutenants in the Army. As lieutenants, these young people are in charge of around 40 people, including during combat.
"What a lot of people don't understand about ROTC is that, yeah, it is about all the drills and things we do, but the bottom line is that we are training to be an officer and to lead in combat," said Kevin Randolph, senior in public relations and ROTC.
As a student enrolled in the War Eagle Battalion, freshmen must be up and ready for physical training at 6 a.m. twice a week. There is also one credit hour class and a lab they must attend. Through these classes students learn concepts and values of the Army.
Army ROTC students also display the state flags at Auburn's home football games as well as present the national colors.
"ROTC is not a club, and it is not a sport. I like to say when you join the Army, you have joined the biggest fraternity or sorority in the world," Hoerner said. "It is about camaraderie and teamwork and serving this country."
ROTC participates in many different activities around campus, Hoerner said.
"The entire War Eagle Battalion ran the battalion run benefiting the Plainsmen in Action for Wounded Warriors campaign," Hoerner said. "They ran the entire race in formation on an early Sunday morning."
Although Army ROTC is a very demanding program, students are also involved in fraternities and sororities, as well having one student nominated for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
"Camaraderie is the most beneficial thing about the War Eagle Battalion," said Stephen Sampson, senior in business administration. "We learn that only by relying on each other can we succeed in a successful world."
Hoerner said the War Eagle Battalion is preparing and teaching these students skills needed in the real world. As officers in the Army, students will need to know how to think three steps down the road, and that is what they learn in ROTC, Hoerner said.
"I think these students deserve some respect," Hoerner said. "They hold a very tough, full-time job on top of being students, and that is something that needs to be recognized."
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