Freshman Field Exercise 08-09
On August 23, 2008, several incoming CMU/FSU ROTC freshmen came to Finch Fieldhouse where the upperclassmen were waiting for them. The Senior/MS IV class gave instruction and guidance to volunteer Juniors/MS III's, who in turn were the guides for the newcomers. Activities on the day included a quick welcome breakfast at the Chippewa Battalion HQ, an in briefing by the battalion cadet staff, and a few hours on the rock wall and high ropes course in Finch Fieldhouse. Around lunchtime, the soon-to-be MS I's were given a short class on land navigation. From there, all were transported to Camp Cutler. Here the freshmen ate their very first MRE's. The cadets moved on to spend several hours learning small unit tactics with paintball, and skirting an open field for land navigation. The fun-filled day was finished up with a barbecue by some of the battalion cadre, and Army-style picnic games of tug-of-war, one-rope bridge crossing, and a Humvee pull. As luck would have it, the cadets finished their day just ahead of an oncoming rainstorm. When the day was truly over, the Juniors felt more comfortable about leading the next generation of cadets, and the new cadets felt just a little better about coming to college.
