Fortnite – EWU Army ROTC

Physical Training

With the continuation of the Washington State stay-at-home order, ROTC activities for the “Fighting Eagles” Cadets at Eastern Washington University have continue to be conducted over virtual platforms. Our physical training (PT) activities are conducted over the Zoom app. Responsibility for conducting PT shifted this week to our second year (MS-II) Cadets conducting the conditioning drills with third year (MS-III) Cadets providing oversight.

Roble and Burnside — EWU Army ROTC Cadets, Olivia Roble (left) and Adam Burnside (right) lead physical training conditioning drills over the Zoom app.

After the conclusion of the Zoom portion of PT the Cadets have been continuing to track their mileage on Strava. A unit competition on Strava has been initiated between each class the and the Cadre to determine who can log the most mileage this quarter. Here are the current standings:

MS-I Class: 198.6 miles
MS-II Class: 577.44
MS-III Class: 936.5
MS-IV Class: 821.6
Cadre: 629.2

Military Science Classes

The weekly Military Science curriculum is all being held online as well. The classes are taught over Zoom with presentation slides, assignments, and quizzes presented over the university’s Canvas software. Online training may not be as effective as in person classes, but our Military Science instructors have put in maximum effort to make the online classes as organized and effective as possible at training our Cadets.

MS-IV Cadet, Andreas Brazier gives a brief about improvements to Infantry weapon systems inside the Brigade Combat Team over the Zoom app.

Leadership Labs

This week’s virtual Leadership Lab continued to be conducted over the Fortnite software. The platoons each executed specific tactical training in customized virtual worlds created by the EWU ROTC Cadre. 1st Platoon was assessed on Movement to Contact and Attack battle drills, 2nd Platoon was assessed on Ambush and Defense battle drills, and 3rd Platoon was assessed on Recon and Raid battle drills. Despite using gaming software, the Cadets have maintained professionalism throughout the labs as they train on using the tactical skills they learned earlier in the year on this virtual platform. The Cadets have been responding favorably to this innovative approach to training which is allowing them to conduct hands on practice of their tactical skills without relying on Powerpoint presentations that make up the vast majority of online training.

Despite the limitations caused by the current pandemic, EWU Army ROTC leadership is committed to providing the highest quality training possible to prepare our Cadets to become future Army leaders. If you want to explore a Military Science course, it is still possible to sign up for ROTC this Spring Quarter. If you are interested in joining us in one of our virtual classes, physical training workouts, or Leadership Labs please contact us using this link or email us at rotc@ewu.edu to learn more.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!