This year in conjunction with the restart of the Big Sky football season, EWU Army ROTC is sponsoring the Eagles Madden Challenge 2021 video game tournament. The tournament will begin on March 19th and registration is currently open until March 18th at 7PM Pacific time. Anyone can enter the tournament; so if you are current student at Eastern, someone still in high school, or alumni it doesn’t matter you can enter. There is also cash prizes for the winners with the overall winner receiving $150.
The tournament will be played over X-box One with the following rules:
Exhibition Mode
Fatigue: On
Injuries: Off
Quarter Length: 5 Minutes
Game Skill: All-Madden
Accelerated Clock: Off
Weather: Clear
Full details of the rules, the various cash prizes, and how to register for the tournament can be found at this link. Feel free to comment or send us a message through our Contact page with any questions you may have. Go Eags!
A couple of our nursing Cadets were featured on the university’s Inside EWU webpage for their efforts to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine to the public in the Spokane area. Here is an excerpt:
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Eastern Washington University students continue to show they are Eagle Strong by supporting the ongoing and ever changing public health efforts. EWU ROTC nursing cadets are taking action to help our region recover by administering vaccines to educators and volunteering at vaccine sites. [Inside EWU]
You can read more at the link, but we appreciate the university reporter Miranda Reed for reaching out and writing the article about our outstanding nursing Cadets. EWU Army ROTC offers nursing scholarships to incoming and current students at Eastern. If you are looking to become a health care professional while serving your country and making an impact locally consider enrolling into an ROTC course. More details about our nursing program and the scholarships available can be read at the below link. Eagle Strong!
On March 4, 2021 the Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted it’s final Leadership Lab of the Winter Quarter before departing the Winter Field Training Exercise (FTX) this weekend. The Leadership Lab was held on the Cheney Waterworks property near the EWU campus. After drawing equipment and conducting pre-combat checks the Cadets moved out to their training locations that were spread out around the property.
Cadets move out to conduct training.
Like our prior labs, the MS-III Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, led the squads during the training because they are preparing to attend Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky within the next 3-4 months. Providing as realistic training as possible to prepare them for camp is extremely important since passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.
MS-III Cadet, Patrick Coleman takes a defensive position during Leadership Lab training.MS-III Cadet, Olivia Roble holds a defensive position.
The focus for this lab was to train the Cadets on how to conduct a defense. While the Cadets were in their patrol base the squad leaders had to put their squad members out into security positions to defend it. While the Cadets were pulling security other Cadets who role played the Opposing Force (OPFOR) element launched an attack on the patrol base.
MS-IV Cadet, Austin Bristow role played as the OPFOR during the Leadership Lab.
After the OPFOR elements were neutralized the Cadets then ended the exercise by conducting an After Action Report (AAR) that was facilitated by MS-IV Cadet and Cadre facilitators to bring out lessons learned from the training. Overall it was a great lab that prepared the Cadets to excel during the upcoming weekend Winter FTX.
On February 25, 2021 the Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted it’s 8th Leadership Lab of the Winter Quarter at the Cheney Waterworks property. After drawing equipment and conducting pre-combat checks the Cadets moved out to conduct their training.
Cadets ready for lab.
Like our prior labs, the MS-III Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, led the squads during the training because they are preparing to attend Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky within the next 3-4 months. Providing as realistic training as possible to prepare them for camp is extremely important since passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.
MS-III Cadet, Thomas Luce served as a squad leader during the training.
During this lab the Cadets learned how to conduct a squad ambush. An ambush is a surprise attack from a concealed position on a moving or temporarily halted target. Ambushes are categorized as hasty or deliberate. A hasty ambush is when the unit makes visual contact with an enemy and has time to establish an ambush without being detected. A deliberate ambush is conducted at a predetermined location against an enemy element that meets the commander’s engagement criteria.
MS-II Cadet, Cierra Neumann positions herself to conduct an ambush.
The different squads each had their own training lanes where they had to setup each type of ambush against other Cadets that rolled played an opposing force (OPFOR) enemy. Once the OPFOR walked into the squad’s kill zone the squad leader which initiate the signal to begin the ambush. After the initial firefight the squad then had to assault through the objective, secure the area, and search for any intelligence information to report over the radio to their higher headquarters. The Cadets once again did a great job conducting the lab and learning the basics for another tactical skill that will help them succeed at Advanced Camp.
Eagle Strong!
Note: More pictures from the Leadership Lab training can be viewed on our EWU Army ROTC Flickr page.
On February 18, 2021 the Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted its Squad Attack Leadership Lab at the Cheney Waterworks property.
Cadets are ready for training.
The MS-III Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, led the squads during the training because they are preparing to attend Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky within the next 5-6 months. Providing as realistic training as possible to prepare them for camp is extremely important since passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.
MS-III Cadet, Everett Kuhnel directs members of his unit during Squad Attack training.
For the Squad Attack training each squad leader knew the exact location of the objective where the Opposing Force (OPFOR) role players would be located. Once the Squad Leader finished their planning and rehearsals, they would lead their squad near the OPFOR’s location and set up their support by fire and assaulting element. Once the Squad Leader initiated the fight, the support by fire element would fire on the enemy while the assaulting element would go through the objective to clear it. After securing the objective the Cadets would then search the area and the OPFOR for any intelligence information before leaving the area and reporting what they found.
Cadet Kaitlynn Taylor rushes through the snow during Squad Attack training.
The snow and cold from the Eastern Washington winter added additional challenge to the Leadership Lab training, but our Cadets showed how Eagle Strong they are by staying motivated and conducting some excellent training.
On February 11, 2021 the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) Cadets traveled to the Cheney Waterworks property to conduct the sixth lab of the Winter quarter.
MS-III Cadet Oliva Roble is geared up and ready to conduct lab.
The purpose of this lab was to have the Cadets demonstrate their ability to conduct reconnaissance operations to standard in order to prepare them for the upcoming winter Field Training Exercise (FTX). In order to conduct reconnaissance of each objective the MS-III squad leader had to use their previously learned land navigation skills to travel to each objective.
MS-III Cadet Everett Kuhnel uses his compass to get an azimuth towards the objective he needs to recon.
As the squad leader moved his element towards the objective he/she had to set up a proper Objective Rally Point (ORP) and then conduct a leader’s recon. During the recon the squad leader brings different personnel with them depending on the mission. The remaining personnel remain at the ORP and maintain security until the leader returns. Once back in the ORP the squad leader then had to radio back the information they observed during the reconnaissance mission. The MS-III Cadets were then graded on their ability to conduct these skills based on the standards in the Ranger Handbook.
MS-III Cadet Jonathan Thiessen (center-right) directs his personnel within the ORP.
The MS-III Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, led the squads during the reconnaissance training because they are preparing to attend Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky within the next 6-7 months. Providing as realistic training as possible to prepare them for camp is extremely important since passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation. Great job once again by all of our Cadets for executing a great Leadership Lab.
