ROTC cadets fly by helicopter to training

Torrance Nevels expected it to be a bumpy ride.

However, as the chopper lifted off the Student Recreation Fields and into the sky toward Mississippi, Nevels said the ride became pretty smooth.

In fact, it was a smooth ride for all involved last Friday as Nevels, a senior majoring in biology, and other ROTC cadets traveled via helicopter to Camp McCain, Miss., for a joint field training exercise.

The cadets joined others from the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, the University of North Alabama and the University of Memphis for the exercise and returned Sunday.

Major Kendrick Traylor, an ROTC instructor, said the program chose to fly the cadets because it would give them some experience in aviation, on which the Army relies heavily for transporting soldiers and equipment all around the world, including combat zones.

"Flying on a Chinook helicopter is a unique experience," Traylor said. "There just isn't any tool for comparison. The Crimson Tide Battalion could have traveled to Camp McCain by ground, but flying provides these future leaders the opportunity to see firsthand what it is like using aviation."

Traylor said the 131st Aviation Battalion of the Alabama Army National Guard provided the aircraft and pilot for the flight.

After the helicopter landed, the 25 cadets began static load training, which teaches the proper methods of boarding and departing the aircraft during various situations as well as other safety issues, Traylor said.

Major James Lake, an ROTC operations and training officer, teaches a military science class that is taken by a majority of the cadets who went to the exercise.

Lake said it is better to train the cadets realistically instead of waiting for their first experience with aircraft to be in a combat situation.

After the cadets returned, Lake said he talked with them about the trip in class. He and the cadets were pleased with the results.

"They performed well," he said. "They all said it was great. It motivated them."

Lake said the flight was a first for the majority of the class, though one or two of them might have had prior experience.

Brian Thebaud, a sophomore majoring in political science, is a cadet in the program. He said the training before the static load training was fairly simple.

Thebaud said he appreciated the opportunity because any training cadets receive in ROTC will help in their military career.

Because Thebaud is a sophomore, he will have another opportunity to complete the exercise again in the future.

"It's a valuable experience so you can go back as a junior and know what to expect," he said.

Travis Tarbox, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice, said the experience compared well to his expectations.

"It stacked up," he said. "I expected to learn a lot, and I did. It was exciting."

The ROTC program plans to continue using Chinook helicopters for future events and hopes to further its efforts by working with other departments within the University and the community, Traylor said.

Traylor said anyone interested in the ROTC programs, their scholarship opportunities or taking a class with no military obligation, can stop by the Bureau of Mines Building or visit http://bama.ua.edu/~armyrotc/.