2019 EWU ROTC MILITARY SCIENCE
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FIGHTING EAGLES CADETS CONDUCT SQUAD OPERATIONS ACROSS THE PALOUSE HILLS On Feb. 28, 2019, the Eastern Washington University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) battalion conducted its weekly leadership lab on the Montague’s Farm property located to the west of the university’s campus.
For this lab, the Fighting Eagle Cadets were tested on their skills in properly conducting squad assault battle drills and reacting to indirect fire. Each squad was assigned an MS-IV (senior) Cadet who evaluated and helped the MS-III (junior) Cadets conduct their mission. Each MS-III had a chance to rotate through leadership positions to give them further practice before attending advanced camp at Ft. Knox, Kentucky this summer. The 37-day camp is a requirement for all MS-III Cadets to pass before they can be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. During the battle-drill lanes, the cadets patrolled along the Palouse hills of Montague’s Farm.
drills. These focused on getting down, returning fire, getting the squad on line, and yelling out the enemy’s description, direction and distance. After eliminating the OPFOR, each MS-III squad leader had to lead their squad-size element through the objective, implement prior lab training to set up 360 security and go through special teams. When the lane was completed, an MS-IV evaluator conducted an after-action report (AAR) that is used to describe what the cadet did correctly, and to identify areas in need of improvement. The next lane the cadets rotated to was the “indirect-fire” lane. When a simulated indirect-fire attack began, the MS-III squad leader in charge had to yell out to the rest of their squad the distance and direction of a location that was deemed safe.
EWU ROTC cadets patrol the Palouse hills to the east of Cheney, Washington.
Fighting Eagles cadet rushes up a hill covered in deep snow.
Overall, it was a great lab that further trained cadets on basic patrolling skills.
While patrolling the Palouse hills the squads were engaged by an “enemy opposing force” (OPFOR). This triggered the squad leaders to execute their battle
A squad of EWU ROTC cadets patrol through a section of wooded terrain.
Cadets patrol through deep snow.
Cadets engage OPFOR that ambushed them in the tree-line.