AV抖阴

FeaturedApril 12, 2024

Lion Company Leads the Way

While the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith ROTC, the Lion Company, might not be the largest organization on campus, it feeds directly to one of the largest institutions in the country, the U.S. military.

The ROTC program began nearly two decades ago at AV抖阴. Since the commission of its first officer in 2008, Jonas Fricks, Lion Company continues to help cadets graduate from AV抖阴 as commissioned officers in the Army, Army Reserves, or National Guard.

Since the inception of AV抖阴 ROTC, the mission has been in line with that of the U.S. Military: 鈥淭o deploy, fight, and win our nation鈥檚 wars by providing ready, prompt, and sustained land dominance as part of the joint force of all U.S. Military.鈥�

Assistant professor of military science, Army Capt. Christian Bradley began his post with AV抖阴 ROTC in October 2023 and has already witnessed cadets living up to the mission set forth by the military.

鈥淥ur cadets have chosen to serve their country as a leader,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ach day, they are striving for excellence and growing intelligently, emotionally, physically, and spiritually to be an integral piece of the unified landscape of operations our nation currently faces.鈥�

The decision to protect and serve the nation isn鈥檛 taken lightly. The students of Lion Company know what is expected of them after graduation and leave prepared to do so. Cadets train and participate in real-world drills while continuing their education.

鈥淭he goal is for them to be able to be a student full time and also be part of the Army organization full time,鈥� Bradley explained. 鈥淥n the leadership side, they come out of the program with a bachelor鈥檚 degree, some may go on to get a master鈥檚 degree, and then they will be commissioned officers within the Army.鈥�

Bradley said cadets will leave the program to go into aviation, flying helicopters, some to artillery to shoot cannons, and others will go to the infantry.

鈥淚 want cadets in this program to gain confidence in themselves and their craft. Experiences will come in due time, which will grow their knowledge,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淐adets should leave this program with the utmost confidence in themselves to become leaders whom soldiers trust.鈥�

There are multiple ways for cadets to become part of the program, noted Bradley. There are scholarship opportunities for high school seniors, but an interested AV抖阴 student can also join as a first- or second-year student.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no service obligation,鈥� Bradley said of the first two years cadets are in the AV抖阴 ROTC. 鈥淏y their junior year, it鈥檚 a decision point. 鈥� that鈥檚 when the Army decides they鈥檙e ready to invest.鈥�

Cadets have the option to stay or continue during their junior year. Over the last year and a half, Lion Company has seen the program more than double from nine cadets to 25, showing a genuine interest in what the program offers and what is afforded to those who stay.

鈥淥ur job at AV抖阴 ROTC is to recruit, produce, and commission those leaders,鈥� Bradley said.

Bradley will call AV抖阴 home for the next two to three years and plans to keep the growth going. He said he expects the program to grow by nearly 200% by the end of his term, averaging close to 50 students each year.

By expanding the footprint of AV抖阴 ROTC, he is encouraged with the possibility of upgrading the Old Gym, where the program is housed, to have more dedicated space for classes and training.

Victor Steffen, a junior biomedical student and ROTC cadet, has already decided to continue with Lion Company during his senior year because ROTC has 鈥渙pened the door for a career in medical aviation.鈥�

鈥淩OTC has been a fantastic program that has allowed me to hone my leadership skills, preparing me to be an effective officer in the future,鈥� Victor stated. 鈥淛oining ROTC was one of the best decisions I have made since I began pursuing my bachelor鈥檚.

鈥淚 joined because I wanted to better myself and others around me. Choosing to become a leader was a decision I thought about in-depth and one that has allowed me the opportunity to network with other military figures and politicians.鈥�

For Victor and other ROTC cadets, leadership goes beyond lessons learned in the classroom. Leadership also comes in the form of what you do for your community.

Since joining Lion Company, Victor has helped build and operate the inaugural 鈥�Endurance: The Obstacle Course鈥� event, challenging teams of three to 16 unique obstacles and a 40-meter run to test competitors' endurance.

But events like this aren鈥檛 the only ones involving ROTC cadets.

Every September 11, cadets join first responders for a memorial stair climb in the Stubblefield Center. Cadets also help plant American Flags around the campus green for Veteran鈥檚 Day and Memorial Day.

Around the community, Bradley said the program is actively involved in running and weightlifting clubs and participates in charity events for both activities as well.

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