I N D E P E N D E N T V O I C E F O R K A N S A S S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
Military PRide GUIDE VOL. 119 NO. 134
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014
Hannah Hunsinger | the collegian
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THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014
University-supported resources available to military-affiliated students ByJakki Forester the collegian While some students sit in classes filled with peers the same age as them, there are older fellow Wildcats with military experience in the student body that some students may be unaware of. K-State offers many different military related resources and benefits to those who come to K-State, making the university an attractive place for military personnel pursuing a college education. First and foremost, military personnel stationed as active duty in Kansas, their dependents and members of the Kansas National Guard are granted an instate rate for tuition and fees at K-State. Military training and experience can also be evaluated for possible college credit toward the pursued degree. There are also many on-campus resources that can aid anyone who is military affiliated better acclimate to a collegiate atmosphere.
Veterans Center Located on the ground floor of the K-State Student Union, it includes couches and chairs for lounging or studying, as well as tables and computers to work on homework or recreational activities. This center could be used as a comfortable space to network with other K-State student veterans. The Veterans Center has undergraduate and graduate students who can assist anyone with questions or concerns from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week.
Office of Veterans Affairs The Office of Veterans Affairs, located at 221 Anderson Hall, assists students with upto-date information affecting military affiliated students. This office can assist in answering
questions or concerns about the GI Bill benefits, as well as direct people to other resources with more information.
Office of Military Affairs The Office of Military Affairs, located at 24A Anderson Hall, serves K-State by providing expert knowledge in military affairs relating to ongoing and future educational, research and outreach efforts. Serving as a primary conduit to military institutional and community partners, it aims to help K-State be recognized as one of the most military-inclusive campuses by 2025.
Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families The Institute for the Healthy and Security of Military Families addresses the health and resiliency of national and international military personnel, veterans and their families. The institute provides development and management of military families focusing on specialized training on working with military families, conduct comprehensive research and provide services to Kansas and the U.S. about the current and future needs of military families.
Military Family Provider Network The Military Family Provider Network supplies Kansas with mental health and substance abuse professionals, primary care physicians and other professionals dedicated to providing complete, competent and sensitive care to military families.
Operation: Military Kids Operation: Military Kids is the U.S. Army’s collabora-
Taylor Alderman | the collegian The Veterans Center, located in the basement of the K-State Student Union near Salsarita’s, offers a place where veterans can hang out or study with others in a safe environment.
tive effort with K-State and other military-affected communities to support the children and youth impacted by deployments. It also helps support community networks and educational opportunities for military-connected youth and their families.
National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center – Flint Hills Originally developed by a team of researchers, soldiers, clinicians and citizens of Kansas, the National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center – Flint Hills is becoming a focal point for a holistic, behavioral health treatment in Kansas and leading the U.S. in the emotional recovery of combat veterans.
Operation Educate the Educators Supported through K-State’s College of Education, Operation Educate the Educators strives to educate pre-service professionals to meet the needs and expectations of military-connected students across the country. K-State students in the college of education are able to learn about the unique needs of students who are military-affiliated before encountering them in their future classrooms.
‘A Walk In My Shoes’ documentary Created through K-State’s College of Education, “A Walk In My Shoes” documentary sheds light to pre-service educa-
tors, as well as others who view the documentary, about topics surrounding deployments, frequent moves, leaving friends, family, schools and communities, social or emotional needs of children and adolescents, post-traumatic stress disorder and the power of military bonds through service.
Base and campus partnerships These are only some of the on-campus resources that could assist military-connected or military-affiliated students ease into collegiate life but there are others at K-State, in Manhattan and on Fort Riley. K-State and Fort Riley renewed their partnership for the fourth year in 2013. Having this
agreement helps strengthen ties students have to civilian life and continues to make K-State one of the most military-inclusive universities in the nation. Specific colleges at K-State offer unique partnerships with both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth. Some of these colleges include the College of Education, the College of Human Ecology and the Division of Continuing Education. Only a few colleges within K-State currently have a partnerships with local military instillations, but more will be coming once agreements are reached. This will assist in continuing to make K-State military-inclusive and allow a higher visibility for students who are military-affiliated.
Alumni couple lives through constant transitions married military life brings
Erin Poppe | the collegian Mandy Boeschling helps her husband, 2nd Lt. Nicolas Boeschling, put the finishing touches on his lunch for the following workday at Fort Riley on March 1, 2013. Just weeks after they exchanged vows on March 24, 2012, Nicolas was deployed to Afghanistan for eight months.
By Erin Poppe the collegian
@kstatecollegian
Second Lt. Nicolas and Mandy Boeschling have known each other for four years, but have spent about two years actually in the same place, the same length of time they’ve been married. The couple met in 2011 at K-State. Now, due to Nicolas’ active role in the military, he estimates they have spent half of their time together separated.
However, they describe their relationship as “easy” despite the challenges and transitions they have faced as a military couple. “I think a lot of people should understand that if it’s not easy from the get-go, then maybe it’s a sign to re-look at what you’re going to get into,” Nicolas said. However, that is not always how it works for couples within the military. There can be a lot of bumps in the road to happiness for a military couple, such as deployment and reassignment.
If communication is not fostered in a healthy way, the results can tear apart even the strongest, and easiest, of marriages. Fort Riley Chaplain Michael McDonald said that while there are challenging situations only military families experience, there is a positive aspect to it all. “We need them to be more resilient, and they are,” McDonald said. “I think when their time in the military comes to an end (the couples that endured it) contribute more to the society around them. They’ve endured
had been so easy before, she said. “I saw a different side of Nick while he was gone,” Mandy said. “But you have to be different. It took me a while to understand that he was in a completely different world than where I was back home and safe.” Deployment is a different world, Nicolas said. The new perspective experienced by the deployed soldiers is something that the military warns won’t be communicated well at first when calling back home. “She would talk about some issues going on at home and there would be some instances where I would think, either out loud or to myself, ‘This is what you’re complaining about?’” Nicolas said. “Sometimes too much was too much, and I would try to make the realization with her that she still had her friends and her life.” According to Chaplain McDonald, the situation Nicolas and Mandy faced during his deployment was a communication-based issue that is very common during deployment for couples. “Trying to work out anything while you are in a deployed situation becomes difficult,” he said. “You don’t have the ability to talk about things in immediate time. Communication issues develop that inhibit the ability to work through issues.” Yet the Boeschlings were determined to make the most of their first year of marriage,
even with more than 7,000 miles separating them. They figured out how to communicate while planning their future together from their pending honeymoon to their home arrangements. “That’s what I think got Nick away from where he was,” Mandy said. “He arranged the living room from Afghanistan. He made me measure every single piece of furniture and everything. It gave him something to contribute to while he wasn’t physically around.” Communication continues to play a huge role in the Boeschling’s marriage as the military continues to prove to be more of a lifestyle rather than a job. “At my workspace (at Fort Riley) I’m in charge of 35-40 soldiers so I have a lot to worry about there,” Nicolas said. “That’s a lot more people than just Mandy, so a lot of times when I come back home, I don’t feel like I need to worry about her. I think, ‘Oh, she’s fine,’ but at the same time, I have to be nice enough and a husband to realize that she has cares and worries.” That feeling is a transition many soldiers feel upon their return home. They have to readjust to a home they no longer run, and relearn how to function with someone who might have no idea what they are going through or went through. However Mandy said that while it was a hard lifestyle to adapt to at times, she never once second-guessed her relationship with Nicolas.
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so many challenges together and I think that makes our society as a whole strong.” Yet that doesn’t make the experience of a relationship during active military service any less than what it is: a constant state of transition. The transitions the Boeschlings faced within their first year of marriage are ones shared by many military couples, McDonald said. Married on March 24, 2012, the newlywed couple had until May 11 of that same year to enjoy wedded bliss; Nicolas was deployed to Afghanistan for eight months a few months after their wedding. There wasn’t even enough time for their honeymoon for the couple. For Mandy, who never thought of marrying into the military prior to meeting Nicolas, she said the reality of a deployment came too soon. “I didn’t get to talk to him until four days after he had left,” she said. “I was looking at a picture of him while Skyping and it really takes you back. It broke my heart. I knew he was leaving, but him actually leaving was different. What was hard for me was getting used to the idea of that person not being here all the time.” However, it wasn’t just the lack of Nicolas’ physical presence that Mandy struggled with. She said there was a shift in Nicolas’ personality while he was away that she wasn’t prepared for. They struggled to keep up the communication that
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Flags of military pride, appreciation wave in front of 52,542 football fans Emily DeShazer | the collegian LEFT: The Fort Riley color guard displays the flags of its various constituent units on the field during Fort Riley Day festivities before the football game against Iowa State Nov. 2, 2013 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. RIGHT: The K-State football team emerges from the locker rooms carrying the American, Kansas, First Infantry Division and Fort Riley flags before the Fort Riley Day football game against Iowa State Nov. 2, 2013 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Military-affiliated students adjust to balance military, civilian, student life By Jakki Forester the collegian For many students, attending a institution of higher education occurs almost immediately after high school graduation, whether it’s with a community college, a private institution or a four-year public university. Not all people choose this path, though. For some students, joining a branch of the U.S. armed forces is their first career choice. Those who choose to serve our country rather than go straight to higher education have to go through different processes depending on the branch of the military they pursue. Men and women who choose the Army have to go through and pass Army Basic Training, which is divided into two sections: Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training. These can last a total of 12-52 weeks. BCT takes 10 weeks to graduate. AIT takes anywhere from six to 52 weeks, depending on the skills needed to perform a specific job in the Army. Of course, this path isn’t for everyone. It takes a certain type of person to join the Army. According to the Army’s official website, a soldier is tasked with upholding the Constitution and protecting American freedoms. Sometimes this means time away from family and facing one, if not more, deployment while enlisted and on active duty. When soldiers do want to pursue higher education, they have many different options. They can wait until the end of their contracts to use the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, more commonly known as the G.I. Bill, to go to school. Soldiers can also use the tuition assistance provided to them while on active duty, or they can find colleges or universities that offer free or significantly reduced prices for higher education for veterans. Of the two military employees who chose to pursue higher education here at K-State and be interviewed for this article, one was approved for time off to pursue his second master’s degree. The other went from active duty to the reserves, but plans to re-enlist to active duty once his bachelor’s degree is complete.
Military Life Sean Matthews, senior in public relations, has put more than 16 years into the military as an infantryman, or 11B, working his way up in rank. From the time he signed his initial contract to now, Matthews has completed eight deployments. He said he has spent more than half of his military career in foreign countries. “My basic responsibilities are to secure, defend and digress,” Matthews said about being deployed. “The ugly part of war is that you have to be aggressive when you’re out there with your men, your comrades.” He said when a soldier returns home from deployment, though they can always tell their story from being away, deployment is about protecting their friends and fellow soldiers. “We fight for each other,” Matthews said. “Not for the flag, not for apple pie, not for any of that bull. We fight for each other in order to come home — that is the most important thing.” While deployed, as well as being stationed on U.S. soil, Matthews said it was his job as a platoon sergeant to make sure his men did their jobs. He added that he made sure his men did their jobs effectively enough to guarantee their soldiers came home and without injury. When discussing death and watching friends and fellow soldiers die overseas, Matthews said that though it is always hard, it’s a process of mourning and continuing to do the job assigned. “You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but it’s going to happen,” Matthews said.“The thing is that most people aren’t prepared for it. The question you have to ask is if you’re prepared to die. The key thing I used to tell my men all the time was, ‘In order to take a life, you have to respect life itself.’” Matthews said with that mentality, his soldiers can understand what they do as a job as well as who they are as people. For each individual who is serving in the Armed Forces, deployments are going to be unique and challenging in a variety of ways. For LaRue Brown, graduate student in
operations management, being deployed was a different experience than it was for Matthews. For his first deployment to Iraq, which lasted 15 months, he was a pilot. For the first five months, he served in the ground maintenance company as a re-fueler. He also performed maintenance, service and performance checks on all aerial vehicles. For the trailing 10 months, Brown was a flight platoon leader. Four to five times a week, he and other soldiers would fly out on different missions ranging from dropping air supplies to encountering air assaults. “As a pilot, we were shot at all the time — the bullet just might not have reached the helicopter,” Brown said. “We never got direct fire. No one was ever just standing there on the ground shooting at us when we landed. When we saw bullets, it was when people were just shooting off rounds and we could see trace rounds flying past us.” On his second deployment, a few years after his first one, Brown was deployed in Afghanistan for about a year. “I was a psychological operations officer,” Brown said. “I was training Afghani special forces and Afghani rangers how to do psychological operations. I did lots and lots of teaching.” Brown said that nothing too severe has happened to him while he has been deployed. Brown will be achieving his second master’s degree when he graduates from K-State. He wants to be an instructor at the U.S. Military Academy when he graduates. Education and the military According to the K-State Office of Military Affairs, more than 3,000 K-State students are connected to the military in some way. Eleven percent of the total student body is military affiliated or military veterans. Of that 11 percent, 31 percent are assigned to Fort Riley, 32 percent are recent veterans attending K-State on their G.I. Bill, 2 percent are active duty military, 25 percent are local military-connected students and the final 11 percent are R.O.T.C. cadets, according to a June 7, 2013 presentation by director of Military Affairs Art DeGroat. K-State has one of the largest military student popula-
tions in the entire nation. “The Army is a microcosm of society, and we look for well-rounded soldiers; that includes the education piece,” Lt. Col. Sean J. Ryan, 1st Infantry Division public affairs officer, said. “It is important for all Army soldiers to pursue a degree, not only to keep themselves educated while serving their country, but it helps them individually after their service to the country is over.” For Matthews, his time in the Army never really ended. He was active duty for 3 1/2 years, but left active duty to try one year of the National Guard. He said he was out of active duty less than six months before he was called on to deploy. Before that deployment, he had barely finished a semester at K-State. When he returned to Kansas, he was back for less than 12 months before he was deployed again. He has been back to K-State a total of three times, due to being called to service and a medical leave of absence. When Matthews first started taking higher education classes, it was just a few here or there, essentially whenever he could take them. Matthews recalled a squad leader who encouraged him to get enrolled in classes long before K-State. “I remember when one of my squad leaders busted into my room one day, and I was playing video games,” Matthews said. “He told me ‘Your a-- needs to be in school. I don’t ever want to catch your a-- in here playing video games.’ I owe him a lot of credit because of that.” Some active duty soldiers take time away from their units to attend universities all over the nation, no matter where their stationing base is originally. Ryan said there are different programs soldiers can participate in to support their drive for higher education. One is the Advanced Civil School program, which is fully funded through a particular branch of the Army. Some branches also offer Training With Industry, a program that allows soldiers to work with civilian industries. Soldiers are also able to pick their degrees based on what they are interested in. Any soldier with a bachelor’s degree is considered an officer in the Army. It is practical for soldiers to pursue degrees in their Army careers, but they may pursue
whatever type of degree they choose – as long as their chain of command is aware. “The bottom line is that all soldiers have an opportunity to earn a degree or come close to it while being on active duty,” Ryan said. “The Army has education centers on all installments that offer help and guidelines to get soldiers enrolled. Even if a soldier does not earn a degree, the classes they take while on active duty can lessen the time they have to attend school as a civilian.” Military-friendly campus With Fort Riley less than 30 minutes from the K-State campus, the university has tried to incorporate military affiliated students and families into the collegiate experience as much as possible. For more than 60 years, K-State has partnered with Fort Riley, and continues to strengthen its ties to both Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley through partnerships. According to a K-State news release from News and Editorial Services from Feb. 14, 2012, K-State was ranked a top military-friendly institution for soldiers and their families for a fifth consecutive year. K-State President Kirk Schulz has even written it into his “K-State 2025” plan, as well. As a part of the K-State 2025 plan, more colleges and departments at K-State are beginning to partner with Fort Riley to continue to bridge the gap between military and civilian life and to build a level of understanding between military and non-military. There are many resources for military affiliated students at K-State. Some of these services include an Office of Veteran’s Affairs, a designated counselor in the Office of Financial Assistance and a special merit based scholarship program for
college-bound adolescents and spouses of Fort Riley soldiers. Interacting with military personnel For some civilians, it may seem intimidating to talk to someone who is in the armed forces. Oftentimes, students may not know if a student is active duty military, a reserve serviceman or woman or even a part of K-State’s Army ROTC program. Brown said that if someone has questions for a military student, just ask. He said there are some students who don’t really know anything about the military, especially how it operates. “For someone who is anti-military or anti-war or anything like that, I’m not going to be able to dissuade you,” Brown said. “That’s not my job as a soldier.” Brown said his job as a soldier is to follow the orders of the officers appointed above him, including the president. He said a soldier does the mission whether or not people back home like it or dislike it. On a campus like K-State’s, it is statistically true to say that one out of every 10 students are military affiliated. Furthermore, one out of every 10 students have experience with something affiliated with military life like a deployment, having to move every three to five years or can broadly explain what military life is like. “If people have questions, I would be more than happy to let them know what I’ve experienced,” Brown said. “But, if you have a problem with what I do, that’s fine. There’s nothing I can really do about that. But if you want to know more about my experiences and what I’ve done, except for the classified stuff, I would be more than happy to sit and have that conversation.”
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ROTC is all in the family for one K-State student By Marissa Haake the collegian oah Easterling, sophomore in construction science and management, joined the ROTC to uphold family tradition. Easterling’s dad and older brother both went through the ROTC program. His older brother, Ryan Easterling, went to the ROTC program at K-State and his father, Clay Easterling, went to school at North Georgia Military Academy. “Most military officer families like to uphold a tradition of sending their children into military service as an officer,” Noah said. “My dad never really pushed military life at all. He kind of just wanted us to be the best that we could be, and he always wanted us to have a choice in everything we did. But he always wanted us to focus on giving back to our country in any way possible.” Though he did not officially sign a contract into the program until his senior year of high school, Noah said he always knew he wanted to use his future job to give back. “I knew I wanted to be an engineer, because I was always the kid who loved Legos,” he said. “As I got older, I tried to think how I could be an engineer while at the same time being able to give back to the country. ROTC is the best way I saw possible.” Growing up, Noah moved around with his family in the military. He was born in Florida and lived there for a year, then moved to Oklahoma for three years. Later, he moved to South Korea for three years; he has lived in Leavenworth, Kan. since then. For Noah’s dad, having both of his sons in the military is special. “I have both of my sons in the military now,” Clay Easterling said. “I served in the military for 22 years, and now my sons have made their own decisions that they would like to give back to the country as well. We will have to see if they will want to give their entire lives to the military, or if they will want to do the required years and try something else. It is great, because they will get the scholarship out of it, but they will get to serve the country as well.” Noah is one of the few ROTC students that were awarded a four-year scholarship. It is an all-inclusive scholarship to pay for his time at K-State. In return, he will serve a minimum of eight years in the military. Noah said he would like to use his construction science degree to build horizontal and vertical construction. This could be anything from building roads, large objects for military use or clearing out fields, he said. Right now, the biggest use for engineers in the Army is to rebuild infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan and support other military forces. Along with performing his duties as a fulltime student, Noah wakes up at 6 a.m., five days a week to go to physical training. “Other college kids may be staying up until 1 or 2 a.m. on a regular basis, but most of us will be in bed at least by midnight,” Noah said. “It hinders my sleeping schedule, but it definitely makes me enjoy my weekends a lot more. This is just the standard that we have, because it’s how it’s going to be for the rest of our lives.” Though he has given up some sleeping hours, Noah has also gained a wide variety of experiences from joining ROTC. He went on a Cultural Understanding and Language Program this past summer in Toga, Africa. The CULP program is similar to a university cultural exchange program, except it is through the U.S. Army. Noah’s teams’ mission, while there, was to teach conversational English to military cadets at Toga’s military academy. “They already know basic English, but they don’t really speak it that often,” Noah said. “We got to go out and teach them how Americans say things, and we also got the opportunity to teach some classes. It taught me a lot about what their lives are like, and they also got to learn about our lives.” He said he has also gained leadership experience. By military science level 3, participants are juniors in school and lead a group of MS-1 and MS-2 students, typically freshmen and sophomores. These MS-1 and MS-2 groups can sometimes be as large as 30 students. It is on the leader’s shoulders to let their group know times and locations that they must meet in order for them to succeed in the program. “I think ROTC has really helped Noah become the leader he is today,” Chelsea Webb, sophomore in occupational therapy and Noah’s girlfriend, said. “It has made him very time oriented and organized. Even the formal that he planned for Delta Chi (fraternity) this weekend was timed out exactly, so that everyone knew the schedule and what was expected.” Noah said he has tried to make his experience in college a well-rounded one. He takes part in the ranger buddy competitions within ROTC where he gets the opportunity to compete and test his skills as a ranger. He is also member of Delta Chi and the Society of American Military Engineers.
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Hannah Hunsinger | the collegian TOP: Noah Easterling is a third generation K-Stater and soldier. Easterling is a sophomore in construction science and management.
LEFT: Ryan Crosser, senior in hotel and restaruant management, participates in a game of flicker ball as part the Army ROTC physical training in Memorial Stadium on Sept. 18, 2013. Crosser was one of eight cadets in the Wildcat Battalion to earn the highest rating possible during summer ROTC training.
RIGHT: Megan Walden, senior in indusrial engineering, attempts to block a pass in a game of flicker ball as part the Army ROTC physical training in Memorial Stadium on Sept. 18, 2013.
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Royal Purple yearbook
The 1909 university military officers pose for their Royal Purple yearbook group photo.
K-State ROTC groups boast rich history of excellence 1867: Enrollment in military training corps is required for freshmen and sophomore students due to a faculty ruling.
memorial at Danforth Chapel commemorates the 243 individuals who died during WWII and the Korean War.
1868: A two-year course of military instruction for men is required. Later, advanced courses were available for junior and senior members.
1943: The Military Science Department and Army ROTC move to its current building, now called General Richard B. Myers Hall, the only building completed on campus during WWII.
1893: Students could chose between military drills or calisthenics. Drill participation dropped to about half. 1894: Board of Regents makes military training mandatory for all physically qualified male students below the third academic year. 1902: The War Department issues General Order No. 94 to establish a program of drill and classes. Uniforms were changed at that time to match the West Point Gray uniforms. 1906: Lt. J.G. Warswick becomes the first Kansas State Agricultural College cadet to give his life on July 22 against the Philippine rebels. 1912: The military department moved from the old Armory building, where Cardwell Hall is now, to new quarters in Nichols Gymnasium. 1914-18: Four hundred thirty-one officers and 1,703 enlisted men from the Kansas State Agricultural College serve overseas in World War I; 48 men never returned. 1916: The National Defense Act is passed by Congress that establishes ROTC; then, later called the Student Army Training Corps, SATC. 1917: The Corps grow so large that they must hire their first full time secretary, S.P. Winters 1918: The SATC program is shortly disbanded after the signing of the Armistice. 1919: SATC returns to campus in the spring. Around the same time, an influenza outbreak occurs on campus, shutting the entire school down for a short time. Two hundred fifty-seven cadets got sick, and four died as a result of the epidemic. 1920: SATC is renamed ROTC, its current name. 1931: Enrollment becomes compulsory due to state law. 1939-1945: Kansas State Agricultural College sends 1,200 enlisted men and 200 ROTC officers into World War II. The
1949: The Pershing Rifles Company G-7, an element of ROTC, becomes the first student organization on campus to integrate an African-American student into their organization with the membership of Cadet Robert Thompson. 1951: A senior division of the Air Force ROTC unit is established on May 9 and designated Detachment 270 after the Air Fore formed from the Army’s Air Corps. They occupied the same building as Army ROTC. 1952: Almost 1900 cadets are enrolled in ROTC. 1965: The Kansas state legislature repeals the mandatory enrollment and ROTC becomes elective for all students. Thirteen hundred cadets are enrolled. 1968: A fire guts the former military science quarters, Nichols Hall. Afterward, the university began to employ fire guards, a part of the ROTC program, to patrol the campus at night to control suspicious happenings. 1973: Enrollment drops to 135 cadets. 2004: 2nd Lt. James Michael Goins is killed in action in Najaf, Iraq. 2006: The military science building is renamed Gen. Richard Myers Hall. Myers was a 1965 K-State alumnus who served as chairman as Joint Chiefs of Staff and principal military adviser to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush and the National Security Council. 2008: The first female general in the Kansas National Guard, Brigadier Gen. Deborah S. Rose, speaks to K-State Air Force ROTC students about her position as joint command and her success as an officer. 2009: The battalion reaches enrollment of 163 cadets. 2010: The K-State Pershing Rifles Company G-7 is reactivated after being disbanded previously due to issues of disrespect and lack of interest.
Royal Purple yearbook TOP: In the early 1900s, military involvement was required for male students. Company A was one of several companies in 1909, as pictured in the year’s Royal Purple. UPPER LEFT: Members of the 1961 Riflemen’s team practice, as shown in the 1961 Royal Purple. They took fourth at the national competition that year. LOWER LEFT: The military ball in 1940 included these cadets, and honorary cadets (females) as shown in the 1940 Royal Purple. BOTTOM RIGHT: Members of the ROTC program in 1943 pose with the American and Kansas State Agriculture College flag for the 1943 Royal Purple.
2011: “G.I. Jobs” magazine lists K-State in the top 15 percent of colleges that cater to the military. 2013: Thirteen ROTC programs across the nation at several
major universities in the South and Midwest regions close over the next two years; K-State’s program remains strong. The K-State ROTC program has produced an average of 17 officers
a year since 1988, above the national average. 2014: The K-State’s Pershing Rifles Company G-7 brings home second place overall from
national competition, including third in platoon regulation, second in duet exhibition, first in individual exhibition and first in platoon exhibition.
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