App State ROTC at Fall Field Training Exercise (FTX)

 October 26th, 2017, Appalachian State University ROTC held its annual fall Field Training Exercise. The training event lasted October 26th-28th. It was held at Riverbend Park, North Carolina. Over the three day period, the training included a 5 mile ruck march, squad lanes, and land navigation.

 The training began in the afternoon on 26th near on Broyhill Hill as third-year and underclassmen ROTC Cadets performed inspections on their issued rucksacks and equipment. Leadership roles and common procedures were established. Third-year Cadets were placed in situations where they established unity and were responsible for time management. Once planning was complete and procedures were standardized, they set-up camp and prepared for a 5-mile ruck march the following day.

 Day two of FTX began before sunrise as Cadets completed a 5-mile ruck march and boarded the bus heading to Riverbend Park. They began to conduct a squad STX lane. The lanes were led by third-year Cadets. “They got relevant training pertinent to what lanes would be like at [advanced] camp,” fourth-year Cadet Alex Uzzell said. “Cadets got the opportunity to lead lanes in relatively stressful environments.” Time permitted the completion of four lanes per squad.

 Day three kicked off very early in the morning with night land navigation transitioning into day land navigation (Land Nav). Each Cadet was given a map and location points. They were sent to find their points. Second-year Cadet Garrett Sandy says, “Land Nav. at FTX was difficult. Land nav. training is valuable outside of the classroom. It takes a lot of practice to succeed at it. FTX allowed me to dive into land navigation in preparation for land nav at Advanced Camp,” Sandy said. By start of the afternoon, Cadets accounted for one-another, were on their way back home, and given the opportunity to provide their questions, comments, and concerns about this year’s Fall FTX. In summary, App. State ROTC successfully completed Fall FTX.

 Wilton B. Latham

Appalachian State University ROTC

Published: Nov 3, 2017 3:26pm

Tags: