ROTC braves obstacles

Members of the Cal State Long Beach Army ROTC invaded university athletic fields on Tuesday to conduct a course in field leadership.

Cadets were assigned missions with specific objectives, such as explosive retrieval and river crossing, with specific time constraints. Squad leaders assigned the tasks in an effort to foster teamwork among each squad's members.

The exercise consisted of six individual obstacle courses. It is conducted to prepare ROTC members for the advanced course held each summer in Fort Lewis, Wash., said Patty Carlson, public affairs officer for the ROTC. Students must pass the advanced course in addition to graduation to complete the ROTC program.

The obstacles are very similar to the one's cadets will face on the advanced course, said Steven Otero, who was supervising the cadets' performances on an obstacle called "No-man's land," a simulated bridge crossing maneuver.

Tuesday's exercise had little to do with combat training, Carlson said. "It's more or less to make the squads work together as a team," she said. Carlson added that cadets also gain leadership skills because each squad member takes a turn at being the leader for a course.

The course in reaction to obstacles and leadership was held for the first time last spring and the ROTC plans to conduct it once each semester, Otero said.