Cadets head to Fort Dix for weekend of physical and mental challenges

Be in formation with gear no later than 5:50 a.m. "Hoo-hah." How is the 30-degree weather treating you, cadet? "Hoo-hah, sir." Lean backwards into position and rappel. [Translation: jump off a 40-foot wall.] "Hoo-hah. Aaaahhhhh?" Hoo-hah is sometimes described as the most-used word in military language -- for which there is a reasonable explanation. In everyday language, the expression means "heard," "understood" and "acknowledged." Battalion Commander and Engineering senior Steve Bisbee addressed 70 students at the commencement of their Field Training Exercise in Fort Dix, N.J., last weekend, explaining why every one of them would repeatedly sound off with "hoo-hah" throughout the weekend. "Courage is contagious." Bisbee said. "We will all build character as cadets." The University Army ROTC program, known as the Crusader Battalion, trained students in basic rifle marksmanship, garrison operations, team work, land navigation and rappelling during the weekend exercises. And in both evaluation and self-analysis formats, thousands of key aspects of leadership were recorded on small white, blue and yellow cards and later discussed in detail, forming the foundation for the entire weekend's training. But the crucial growing experiences occurred in overcoming challenges -- exactly what Bisbee predicted on the initial day of training. Rappelling, firing M-16s and running obstacle courses produced an unmatched sense of personal pride. And the many team events, such as Leadership Reaction Courses, forced a group to work together cohesively to accomplish a task. Challenges for the younger cadets arose mostly from the training conditions, such as the cold weather and poor food. La Salle University freshman Mike Gallagheo said the "food sucked" and complained about how early the cadets were required to wake up. But Gallagheo said the overall training was beneficial. College freshman Andrew Exum said he was proud and satisfied as he boarded the bus to go back to school after the three day trial. "Our high-speed team of 10 Rangers mastered most of the tasks required of us two weeks from now at our Ranger Challenge competition," he said. Most of the freshman and sophomore students spent the weekend accomplishing specific goals, while the students who occupied leadership positions had tasks that were harder to evaluate qualitatively. Battalion Executive Officer and College senior Ryan Nielsen assumed more leadership responsibilities than usual because other officers left the group to participate in another training exercise called the Ranger Challenge. Nielsen called the weekend a learning experience, especially after his operation order was changed. "The one thing I have learned is that in order to survive you must be flexible," Nielsen said. Bisbee discussed the weekend with the group's cadre during the bus ride home. He said he considered the weekend a success, but found points where even the seniors need "fine-tuning." Bisbee said no matter what the cadets had specifically accomplished over the weekend, they all gained a general sense of the importance of Army ROTC. "After one cadet finished rappelling, he came and found me to say what a fun time he had," Bisbee said. "The cadet added that he can't understand why the Army has to pay people to do it. That one statement makes everything worth it."

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