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Wednesday, April 19, 2017
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BRAD HUFFT
Hopes, dreams live on after Hufft’s death By Razmik Cañas @Raz_Canas
The hopes and dreams of Dr. Bradley Hufft still seem to be alive at Fresno State as student music echoes the halls of the music
building where roses were placed outside his office door. The passion for music continues with those he left behind, just
days after losing him forever. On April 13, Dr. Hufft was
See BRAD HUFFT, Page 3
Dr. Brad Hufft
SPECIAL REPORT
CREATING THE ULTIMATE TEAM
Diana Giraldo • The Collegian
Third Platoon attacked the enemy village where the MS 4s and cadre were waiting with simulated fire and smoke grenades on day two of the annual spring Field Training Exercises, Saturday April 8, 2017 at Camp Roberts in San Marcos California.
By Diana Giraldo @diana_inspired
Last week, like many other Fresno State students, Army ROTC cadets prepared for a weekend adventure – an adventure where learning was the mission. The three-day getaway took 68 cadets on a fight against the elements, a journey trekking through Camp Roberts in San Miguel and a life-changing experience that will mold them into officers of the military. “They come together in a mixed formation of people and go out and do what it is that our seniors – when they commission to become lieutenants – will eventually be doing in the Army,” said Major Boyce Buckner, department chair and professor of military science and leadership. “And then for our freshman, sophomore and junior classes to train and prepare them for their summer camps that they go to in Fort Knox, Kentucky.” The Fresno State Bulldog Battalion was joined by two more units: the Mustang Battalion from California Polytechnic State Uni-
versity and the Surfrider Battalion from University of California, Santa Barbara at the camp. The Field Training Exercise (FTX) planning was in the works since April of last year. Throughout the fall semester, cadets learned basic military and team building skills. In the spring semester, training was ramped up, Buckner said, to prepare them for spring training. The AROTC program, offered in many high schools, colleges and universities, is geared to prepare students to become military officers once they graduate. Day 1 of FTX began at 4:30 a.m. Friday as all cadets and cadre (military science professors who are also active-duty Army officers) arrived at Fresno State. Dressed in full uniform with rucksacks on their backs, packed with personal belongings and sleep equipment, the cadets listened to Buckner as he kicked off the weekend’s events. “If you haven’t flipped your switch on for game time – it is game time,” Buckner said as the cadets stood in formation. “We have an awesome chain of events ahead of you. I promise you. We
Diana Giraldo • The Collegian
An Army ROTC cadet ruck marches through Camp Roberts during the a lane exercise the second day of the annual spring Field Training Exercises, Saturday April 8, 2017 at Camp Roberts in San Marcos California.
are going to go out, and we are going to have some fun because this is really what it is all about. So if you haven’t gotten yourself hyped yet, if you haven’t gotten motivated yet, if you are not excited to go out there, you have a nice bus ride to get that right. And as soon as we get out there, I want you guys to go out and kick some butt.” During the two-hour drive to the camp, the cadets who were unable to sleep talked about the rainy weather and how it would
have a heavy impact on the day’s events. “They need to accept it,” said Cody Friend, Fresno State’s cadet battalion commander and nursing major. “The faster they accept they are going to be soaked, the less it is going to suck.” Once arriving at Camp Roberts, the sleeping cadets awoke and peered through the windows of the bus to the world that awaited them – the rain had only just begun to drench the landscape.
Stepping off the bus the fourthyear students, better known as the MS 4s, began taking charge, guiding the lower-level cadets. “Because they have been through the program for four, five years, they are helping us manage the training event,” Buckner said explaining the seniors’ roles. “They are basically becoming part of the cadre through this whole operation. They will be the ones teaching classes – cadre will be backing them up, of course. And they will be the ones who are walking with the platoons trying to coach the leadership.” The first order of business was three-small unit classes in which the cadets learned Level 1 skills, such as basic land navigation – how to plot and do route planning with just a compass, a military map and a protractor – tactical combat casualty care and Army communications. “In the classes we are teaching some of the basic things that you would use as a soldier. Hopefully our cadets can walk away with this and be able to apply them to the skills that we are going to be using
See SPECIAL REPORT, Page 6