On February, 14 2019, the Eastern Washington University (EWU) ROTC battalion conducted its weekly Leadership Lab at John F. Kennedy (JFK) Field and inside Cadet Hall. The freezing temperatures and record snow fall did not stop the “Fighting Eagles” Cadets from conducting their training. This February the Spokane area has seen five times the normal amount of snowfall leading to deep snow levels on the EWU Campus.
Cadet Hall surrounded by deep snow.
At this week’s Leadership Lab the Cadets trained on how to properly execute squad attack and assault drills. The platoons while inside Cadet Hall rehearsed the drills before rotating outside to be evaluated on JFK Field. Once outside the Cadets met up with their MS-IV (senior) Cadet who evaluated each squad within the platoon on how well they executed the attack and assault drills.
EWU ROTC Cadet maneuver across JFK Field on the EWU campus.
The MS-III (junior) Cadets were responsible for leading each squad as part of their preparation for Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is held each summer at Ft. Knox, Kentucky and the 37 day event is the culmination of three years of intense training in the ROTC program.
EWU ROTC Cadets maneuver through deep snow during weekly training.
The MS-III Cadets used skills learned at prior labs to effectively maneuver their squads to flank and assault the enemy during this week’s training. After each drill an after action report (AAR) was held that was facilitated by the MS-IV Cadet to help the MS-III improve on anything they did wrong during the drill.
MS-IV Cadet Megan Anderson (center) mentors subordinate Cadets.
At the completion of the lab a final formation was held where the EWU ROTC Professor of Military Science (PMS), Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Jonathan Stafford recognized the Hero of the Lab. For this week’s lab, MS-II (sophomore) Cadet Emma Latour was recognized as the Hero of the Lab for how clearly she communicated with her fellow squad members and the high motivation she showed despite the deep snow and cold.
14 Feb. 2019 Hero of the Lab
Great job this week by Cadet Latour and all the other outstanding Fighting Eagles Cadets.
