This summer, ten Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from the University of Tennessee at Martin attended the National Advanced Leadership Camp (NALC) at FT Lewis, Washington: Charles Buntin, William English, Kyle Harris, Kylen Mays, Adrian Montague, Jacob Partridge, Joshua Porter, Joseph Spellings, Samantha Romero, and Nicole Thompson.

More than 5,400 Army ROTC cadets attended NALC from various colleges across the nation.

Attending NALC is a requirement for all ROTC cadets who will be commissioned as officers in the United States Army. It is a thirty-two day leadership development course where cadets exercise the skills they have learned on campus and show their leadership strengths while being evaluated by platoon training officers and non-commissioned officers.

The challenges at camp are rigorous and demanding, both mentally and physically. One of the first evaluations the cadets receive is on their physical endurance. The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) evaluates each cadet to ensure they meet Army standards. UTM was well represented when cadets earned top scores in this area. Cadets Charles Buntin, with a score of 297, Kyle Harris with 291, and Josh Porter with 283 received recognition for exceeding 270 points.

The maximum score for the APFT is 300 points. Hats off to Cadet Buntin for his 297!

Cadets are also evaluated at the physically and mentally challenging Field Leaders Reaction Course. Here, cadets demonstrate their leadership skills while building teamwork as their squad works together to maneuver through various obstacles.

Other training includes rappelling, water safety training, one-rope bridge construction, land navigation, and learning to fire the M-16 rifle and the Army's primary machine guns. Three UTM Cadets excelled in Land Navigation this year with scores at 90 or better: Kyle Harris with a score of 90, Jacob Partridge with a score of 90 and Joseph Spellings with a score of 93.

Cadet Spellings also earned the top score of all cadets in Basic Rifle Marksmanship hitting 36 targets out of 40.

The cadets also learn how to call for and adjust artillery fire support, throw live hand grenades, and to survive and perform tasks in a biologically or chemically contaminated environment.

The culmination of camp is the squad level situational training exercises and patrolling lanes. Here cadets are put into various leadership positions in simulated combat situations.

Since 1916, ROTC has provided the Army with half a million lieutenants and currently provides approximately two thirds of the Army's lieutenants annually.

There are 272 universities and colleges nationwide who offer Army ROTC as part of their curriculum. Cadets who complete the program and receive a commission will enter the active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard as 2nd Lieutenants.