University of Guam ROTC Cadet Talia Meno (seated at right) with members of the special operations medical unit in the 528th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bragg, N.C., where she is shadowing an Army second lieutenant. Photos courtesy of University of Guam ()

The University of Guam Army ROTC cadets have been traveling nationally and internationally this summer participating in various training and internship experiences as part of their leadership development experience while they attend UOG. With flights, meals, and accommodations paid for by U.S. Army Cadet Command, 18 cadets traveled to Fort Knox, Ky., to participate in ROTC Advanced Camp, where they participated in rigorous field training exercises over approximately 40 days. The cadets, who will all be seniors at the University of Guam this fall, have spent the majority of the past year being trained by the UOG ROTC cadre in order to be successful at Fort Knox, where they trained with and led fellow ROTC cadets from across the country in ruck marches, obstacle courses, and simulated combat patrols. After Advanced Camp, several of the senior cadets traveled to various U.S. Army units to spend 30 days shadowing an Army second lieutenant. This program, called Cadet Troop Leader Training, sent UOG cadets to Army units at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Lewis, Wash.; and Fort Polk, La.

Several other cadets earned paid internships through the U.S. Army, including Cadet Louis Randall, who traveled to Stuttgart, Germany, to intern with U.S. Africa Command. Cadet Noel-Brandon Degracia traveled to Fort Carson, Colo., to intern with the 18th Airborne Corps Judge Advocate General office. Three UOG cadets also attended the U.S. Army Air Assault Course in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where they were trained to rappel out of helicopters, among other military tasks. Finally, two cadets earned paid internships to further their foreign language abilities through the ROTC’s Project Global Officer program. Cadet Enriquo Nedlic is studying Indonesian, and Cadet Lidio Fullo is studying Urdu. Due to the pandemic, Fullo and Nedlic are completing the paid internship training online. “ROTC continues to be the best choice for college students who want to be challenged, seek adventure, and explore the world,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Anderson, UOG professor of military science. “I am so excited about the opportunities that our cadets have had this summer to see new places and to learn, and I am even more excited to see how they have grown as leaders when they return to campus in the fall.” UOG’s ROTC program was established in October 1979 and is celebrating more than 40 years of producing dynamic leaders for Guam, the Pacific, and the United States of America.