Dustin Spencer knew he wanted to attend UW-Madison for engineering, however, he faced the question so many students do: how to pay for it? One day his father said to him, “I have enough money to send you to college for one year. After that it’s up to you.” Dustin found not only funding but also leadership, training, a job after graduation and abundant opportunities: he found Air Force ROTC.
Photo Credit: Joe Powell
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a program that combines a college education and military training. The Morrill Act of 1862 established military training at land-grant colleges including UW-Madison. The National Defense Act of 1916 initiated the ROTC program.
UW-Madison’s Air Force ROTC is led by Lieutenant Colonel Todd Berge, UW-Madison ’93. The headquarters are located at 1433 Monroe Street, across from Camp Randall. The program comprises of about 80 students from UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater, Edgewood, and Maranatha Bible Baptist College. Each military branch has its own program, all of which include physical training, special classes and scholarship opportunities. The goal of the program is to recruit, educate, and commission officers. For the individual, this means a commitment to military service after graduation, entering as an officer (2nd lieutenant). Anyone interested can take ROTC courses such as military history or navigation without seeking a commission.
Photo Credit: Joe Powell
To join the program as a freshman or sophomore, a prospective candidate must be enrolled in a college with an accredited ROTC program, maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, and be in good physical condition. With two years remaining in school, a candidate signs a contract and enrolls in the Professional Officer Course (POC). The requirements for the POC include passing the Air Force Reserve Physical Fitness Test, the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, and completing a Field Training course. For most, the commitment is a total of eight years of service. Specialized programs, like pilot training, require a ten year commitment. That’s what Dustin Spencer, fifth-year senior in mechanical engineering, plans to do.
A day in the life of the cadet is similar to that of the average engineer: classes and lots of homework. In addition there is physical training in the mornings, two to three days per week. Cadets attend additional classes that vary in topic by year. Freshmen learn the basics like how to wear the uniform, sophomores study history, juniors practice leadership and seniors prepare for active duty. They also participate in a weekly “Leadership Laboratory,” which encompasses various types of training, marching practice, study of military strategy or discussions on national budget. For the Air Force ROTC this is every Tuesday and for Army and Navy ROTC it is every Thursday.
Photo Credit: Joe Powell
Dustin knows his college experience is stricter than most; no staying out late and sleeping in, and his free time is limited to “a few hours on Saturday to go to a football game, then [he] has to go home and keep studying.”
To Dustin the rewards are well worth the sacrifices. Being able to pay for college became the least important benefit. “In fact as time went on it became an inverse relationship, that the longer I’ve been in ROTC the less important the money became,” he says. ROTC provided leadership experience and other opportunities he had never expected.
Photo Credit: Joe Powell
Now, there’s something you can bank on.