CAMP PENDELTON, San Diego - They say those in the army do more before 8 a.m. than other people do all day. Well, this is also true for the reserve officer training corps at Cal State Long Beach.
The cadets spent the better part of the weekend out in the fields of nearby Camp Pendelton training for various tasks that will be required of them as future army officers.
The weekend training was conducted jointly with cadets from UCLA and cadets from CSULB's parent unit at USC. The Trojan Battalion, to which the twenty-some cadets from CSULB belong, made up the majority of cadets attending the weekend's training.
The cadets were divided into two groups, determined by class standing. The freshman and sophomore cadets, who are in the basic phase of their training, received instruction on land navigation and how to operate in the field.
One of the highlights of the weekend's training was rappelling from a 90-foot tower. The underclassmen spent Saturday rappelling from various sides of the tower. "It was great," sophomore cadet Paul Catalano said.
The junior and senior cadets focused more on refining their individual leadership skills. Each of these advanced cadets were in charge of a group, and had to lead it through various combat scenarios.
"One of the biggest things we can do out here is to teach them to make a decision," CSULB instructor Sgt. 1st Class Rodric Daulton said.
The advanced cadets used the weekend's training in preparation for this year's summer training at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Cadets will have to complete a two-month long, highly intensified training program which will encompass everything they have learned in the program to date. Also during the weekend's field training exercise, the cadets were visited by the commander of all ROTC and JROTC training programs in the U.S., Maj. Gen. James Wallace.
"The cadets in Southern California have a great area to train in," Wallace said. "The schools in Southern California are also very supportive of ROTC."
The senior cadets from CSULB were in command of the weekend's operation, conducting everything from mission planning to briefing the instructors of the daily operations.
"We are providing leaders for America, not just the military," Wallace said. "Our cadets are well-rounded, young men and women representing America."