Rangers Lead the Way

Since last I came here, my schedule and Corps life in general have changed quite a bit. I'm trying out for Rudder's Rangers, a special unit within the Corps and sponsored by the Army that exists for the purposes of training people for infantry combat. That's all well and good, but why did I, an Air Force ROTC member who doesn't intend to commission into the military, join an infantry training group? Just for kicks.

But seriously, I've been kinda bored with the Air Force recently. Also, being in my Sophomore year, things that used to be hard just aren't anymore. Normal outfit PT is something I can do without trying, and, honestly, the new Air Force labs are a joke as far as any kind of training goes. The last three that I have attended were, respectively, marching practice (really, after I've been in the Corps for a year?), Leadership Development Courses (which I think I've been picking up better just in the Corps life), and a PT test which got cancelled because it had rained earlier in the day. Instead, we just did more marching practice and an even less organized version of the last week's events. I probably wouldn't sound as annoyed, but due to the new structure of the Air Force ROTC, I have to do the same stuff the freshmen are doing, which is exactly what I did last year. Even a large portion of my Air Force buddies are complaining.

The real reason I joined Rudder's is to get more of a challenge in my life, since the fish year stuff is gone. The challenge of Rudder's comes not only from the PT (every morning at 5:15), but also from the labs, where they teach stuff like light infantry tactics, land navigations, and other Army stuff. Additionally, there are Field Training Exercises, or FTX's, where we'll take an entire weekend and practice what we learn in the lab.

There's a bit of tradition behind Rudder's as well, just like most good Corps organizations. Rudder's is named after the 2nd Ranger Battalion, who on D-Day were not just hitting the beaches with everyone else, but instead were scaling the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc, to destroy a battery of artillery that could have made life miserable. The Commanding Officer of the Battalion at that time Was James Earl Rudder, best known around A&M for the tower named in his honor, and as the man who integrated the school and the Corps.

"In memory of James Earl Rudder, 1910-1970, class of 1932. Heroic soldier, Commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas, sixteenth President of Texas A&M University, third President of the Texas A&M University System. Earl Rudder was architect of the dream that produced this center. In this, as in all he did, he demonstrated uncommon ability to inspire men and lead them to exceptional achievements."

Corps Crud

It is that time of the year again. When 48,000 young men and women from all parts of the world gather together to advance their education... and share their particular diseases. The so-called "Corps Crud", so termed because it tends to affect the most densely packed and strongly interacting group of students on campus (that's right, I mean the Corps) is either particularly easily transmitted this year or is just so powerful that more people are complaining. It's certainly far worse than I remember last year. Additionally, there's at least one confirmed case of H1N1 "swine flu" in the First Wing, so their dorm is quarantined. Personally, I think that, in the Corps, diseases are like cockroaches: where you see one, there's probably ten more. It wouldn't surprise me if that's the particular corps crud this year.

In addition to Dorm 10 (where the First Wing resides) being quarantined, there are rumors of the band dorms (Dorms 9 and 11) being quarantined, as well as ours (Dorm 12). I talked to our health and safety sergeant today (he's taking numbers of those affected) and he said that a third of our outfit is currently sick, not counting those recently sick or those who have not yet complained. And that's why I didn't post over the start of the week. I had the exact same thing everyone else has. Monday about noon I had a scratchy throat. Monday about 3:00 I was so sick that I could barely get myself downstairs to sign out of the various afternoon training events. Tuesday was a total wash, and I either slept or tried to sleep all day. Today I'm feeling better, and I may start going to class and formations again tomorrow.