By Chantelle Tuitele
Saturday, Jan. 19 will be an important day of preparation as BYU Army ROTC cadets rough it out in the cold to improve their marksmanship on the M16 range at Camp Williams.
Last semester, a BYU Army ROTC cadet was called to active duty with his National Guard unit and deployed overseas to fight the war on terrorism.
Now, the M16 range will help some BYU Army ROTC cadets prepare for the day they too might be called to active duty and find themselves amidst actual combat.
'The M16 is the main weapon that the United States Army uses,' said Captain Noel Namauu, assistant professor of military science. 'They''ll learn how to zero the weapon and aim properly.'
Lieutenant Jonathan Stitt said when he was in the BYU Army ROTC, he thought the M16 range was 'a lot of fun' and didn''t entail harsh military training.
'There''s no drill sergeant yelling in your face making you do push-ups,' Lieutenant Stitt said. 'The ROTC concentrates more on teaching military techniques and basic competency and military skills like marksmanship.'
Major Gregory Weisler, professor of political science said, 'It''s exciting for some of them because it''s the first time they get to shoot a weapon in their lives.'
'It''s not like the machine gun that you think of. It fires a relatively small round and it has very little kick. It almost feels like you''re firing a BB gun,' Lieutenant Stitt said. 'It''s kind of surprising. People think of it as this powerful military weapon-and it is. But the big advantage of the M16 rifle is that it''s extremely accurate and it''s very light.'
Lieutenant Stitt also said that when he first got to the M16 range, he hadn''t had any experience with a rifle before. He said, 'I only figured out how to aim, fire and compensate for distance by pretty much the end of the range.'
Major Weisler explained that cadets who are in their third year of the ROTC-looking to become an officer in the Army-are required to go to the M16 range if they want to attend the national advanced leadership camp in the summer.
'Their performance at that camp greatly impacts their selection of what they want to do in the army afterward,' he said. 'Most of the lieutenants leading our soldiers who are fighting now, went through ROTC programs one, two or three years ago.'
Major Weisler also said many soldiers in the army had the opportunity to improve their marksmanship at an M16 range, much like the one at which BYU Army ROTC cadets will train this weekend.
'Our current war on terrorism isn''t likely to end soon,' Major Weisler said. With this in mind, he also said it is likely that ROTC cadets may begin to take their training at the M16 range a lot more seriously.
The student who was sent overseas last semester was in the Simultaneous Membership Program, which allows students to be in the BYU Army ROTC and the Utah Army National Guard at the same time.
'Some students choose this program because there are more monetary benefits,' Major Weisler said. 'It''s good because you''re directly applying what you''re learning in the ROTC.'
In most cases, cadets are contracted in their junior or senior year. This means they can''t fight in a war even if their unit is mobilized or called to active duty, unless the President declares national war, Major Weisler said.
The student who was deployed to fight the war on terrorism did not complete his contracting and was therefore required to go to war when his Nationa; Guard unit was mobilized.
According to the Army ROTC handbook, 'The Path of Leadership,' there are three ways to become an officer in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve-one is to enroll in the Army ROTC in college and request Reserve Forces Duty after graduation.
'Everybody that finishes the ROTC program and gets a commission as an officer in the army, will end up doing one of three things,' Major Weisler said. 'They''ll go into Active Duty, the National Guard or the Reserve. The army can''t really fight a war anymore without activating the Reserve and National Guard.'
Captain Namauu said Saturday will be a day for BYU Army ROTC cadets, who may one day be members of the Army National Guard or Army Reserve, to begin training with the M16 rifle-a weapon many soldiers are using in the war on terrorism.