FOCUS: For 55 students, ROTC training is endurance test

With each push-up, the fatigue increases and the burning becomes more intense. "Fifteen more seconds," the lead petty officer bellows. "You should be able to get at least five more." After counting down the last 10 seconds out loud the officer gives the group a brief chance to walk it out. "Are you guys tired yet?" she asks. And without waiting for a response she instructs them to "fall back in." The flushed midshipmen, all wearing white shirts and blue shorts, quickly form two lines and run another lap around Franklin Field. Every Monday and Friday at 6:30 a.m., 55 University students endure physical training for the Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps program. Nine Temple students and eight Drexel students are also enrolled. While some may think this is taking physical activity to an extreme, for others ROTC represents an opportunity to be a proud part of the U.S. Navy. Students, called midshipmen, organize and lead the morning's activity, which could include anything from a circuit course to a soccer match. After exercising, the midshipmen head to Hollenbach Center, the ROTC building by the South Street Bridge, for a one hour class. Captains and lieutenants cover basic information about the Navy that all commissioned officers must know. Midshipmen will then apply their knowledge during a four-year military obligation after they graduate. Because many incoming freshmen have no previous knowledge about the Navy, these sessions cover the Navy's history and customs. Lt. Leonard Moore, the sole freshman instructor and advisor, devoted one class to grooming standards and the different types of caps, pins and ribbons officers wear. "A man's hair should not touch the collar of the shirt," Moore told the attentive class. "The color should be natural and compliment the person." "Are you allowed to shave your head?" one freshman asked. "If you like the Telly Savalis look," Moore joked, "then go right ahead." Sophomores learn about naval engineering and juniors study navigation. Seniors meet Tuesday nights for a three-hour seminar, where they discuss current events and readings about group management and leadership. While only seniors formally discuss leadership, all the midshipmen develop leadership skills through personal experience. All students are divided into squads, which have approximately four midshipmen each. Three squads form a platoon; two platoons form a company; and two companies form the battalion. Each division has a leader so that by the time midshipmen graduate they will have held several positions, according to Cpt. Henry Fischer, a NROTC advisor. As commissioned officers, the NROTC graduates could assume control if the country enters a war. "To be responsible for human lives is a pretty awesome job," Fischer said. "We don't take the job of developing a leadership foundation lightly." The relationship midshipmen cultivate with their instructors proves essential to that development. "Some days I'm like a big brother and some days I'm like a father," Fischer said. "It's always with the goal to make a difference in their lives such that they will be able to realize their full potential. I take the stand that they will be the greatest leaders and I say up front that we will work towards that end." Students start perfecting their skills during the week-long freshman orientation for incoming midshipmen. "When I was a platoon sergeant at freshman orientation I had to develop a presence and communication skills," said Wharton senior Carl Forsling, who now is battalion commander. "By dealing with those who had no concept of the ROTC, I was always conscious of what I was doing. That constant self-evaluation helped me prepare for the coming year." Midshipmen can prove how they have progressed as a leader on Thursdays when the whole battalion meets at 7 a.m. in the annex behind Hollenbach. With the whole battalion in uniform, the commanders and officers lead drills, and on random Thursdays the midshipmen must go through inspection. Midshipmen are required to know basic information about the ROTC and the Navy such as the chain of command, the battalion staff and important leadership traits. The student leaders test the midshipmen's knowledge and inspect their uniforms, making sure they are clean and properly pressed. On inspection days, students start arriving early, visually tense. Squad leaders help their fellow members, looking over their uniforms and quizzing them on their knowledge. "Does anyone have a Swiss Army knife?" one squad leader asks as he notices a loose thread. Gathering her platoon together before the inspection, one lead petty officer offers some encouraging words. "You'll sound more motivated if you have a loud sound off," she instructed. "Don't forget the sir sandwich. If someone asks you how you're doing this morning say, 'Sir, outstanding, sir.'" When College senior Mark Tonsetic, a company commander and a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, evaluates the midshipmen, he says he has ways to check the squad leader's progress and the group's unity. "I ask the squad leader to tell me something about each member of the squad such as their major or phone number," Tonsetic said. "That gives me a general indication if they are coming together as a group. If one person stands out and the others don't, then that tells me the person is great on his own but isn't helping others. There's no use in being a hero if the team isn't functioning." Engineering freshman Anthony Crawford says he spent one and a half hours shining his shoes and belt buckle before inspection. He woke up at 5 a.m. to make sure he knew the facts, only to hear that he still wasn't fully prepared. "They told me I could have had more of a military tuck on my uniform," Crawford said. "It might seem trivial, but if you can train yourself to do the little things right the big things come easy." When midshipmen fail an inspection, miss an event without an excuse or conduct themselves unprofessionally, in a manner "unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman," Battalion Executive Officer Jamie McGee, who oversees all disciplinary action, addresses the problem. McGee, an Engineering senior, established a clear disciplinary code that all midshipmen must follow. After one offense midshipmen must meet with their LPO and platoon commander. After the second offense, the midshipmen must meet with McGee, the company commander and platoon commander. The unit staff reviews the midshipman's conduct after the third offense. Because the midshipmen take the ROTC so seriously and feel strongly about serving their country, the University's move to re-evaluate the program's status is especially upsetting, many say. Currently the Defense Department violates the University's non-discrimination policy by barring homosexuals who are open about their orientation from serving in the military. The University Council approved an arm's length agreement last month that would allow the program to remain on campus but distance its relationship with the University. Provost Stanley Chodorow will make the final decision about what action the University should take. "It angers me because I know many of the people on the University Council who voted for the arm's length agreement wouldn't make the sacrifice we are," College senior Scott McClain said. "They're voting for something they wouldn't do even if there was the change in the Defense Department's policy." Many also say that because the ROTC must follow all government policies, the University should direct its action toward the Defense Department and not the ROTC. Within the program, students say, instructors stress that midshipmen should treat all people with respect and discuss how to maintain professional relationships. Cpt. Michael Tollefson, director of the Naval Officer Education program, speaks with the midshipmen every year about sexual harassment, an issue gaining more attention with the increase of women in the military. Despite the military's reputation of hostility toward women, those in ROTC, which is almost 30 percent female, say instructors treat them fairly and equally. "We are expected to do the same level of physical activity as the men," Nursing junior Alicia Ponzio said. "It's a good feeling. I've never experienced different treatment from anyone else." For many midshipmen, being part of the ROTC quickly becomes more than preparing for their military duties. Students said they meet some of their closest friends at the ROTC freshman orientation. Several midshipmen organize a yearly blood drive and tutoring project. The social events, such as the Spring and Birthday Balls, prove some of the midshipmen's best times at the University. "The balls bring more camaraderie," McClain said. "It lets you know that people aren't just robots in uniform. "For some people, because ROTC is such a sacrifice, they can't be in fraternities or sororities," McClain added. "The parties are like their fraternity or sorority formals." Sometimes it's hard to feel confident about enrolling in ROTC at 6 a.m. after staying up late studying, but midshipmen say they know the sacrifices they make are worth it. "On Veteran's Day, we have a service at the monument by the tennis courts to remember everyone who has died in war," said College junior Dan Bennett, a lead petty officer. "Every year it hits me that there are people who have given their lives for the sake of believing in their country. That kind of patriotism gives a higher purpose to what I'm doing."