Raider Battalion Newsletter
WSU Army ROTC
“Tried, Proven, and Ready!”

This is the second Raider Battalion newsletter for SY 05/06. We want to welcome cadets and students taking AROTC again this quarter. It’s been a good winter quarter for the Raider Battalion with many exciting events and training. This edition of the newsletter covers battalion activities from November 2005 to March 2006. Special thanks to those cadre and cadet members who contributed to this edition. Go Raiders!!

PMS Corner – From the Top
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”
-Calvin Coolidge
All kinds of connotations come with winter quarter. It's the "middle" quarter. It's neither the beginning nor is it the end (of the school year to be exact). You're not off to a fresh start and yet you don't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel. One could say that the quarter was all about the grind. Yet, we soldier on with all of the

things we have on our plate. While we win some battles and others we lose, we drive on toward the goal. For instance, there was certainly a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth, especially on the part of those preparing for this year's Dining-Out and other events. But, like all things in this world, persistence pays off. In the end, the Dining-Out turned out to be a major success. Like any traditional Dining-Out, the evening was filled with inside jokes and other antics. The punitive actions of the "grog bowl" and “skits” proved to be worthy justice. If anything, seeing a lighter side tends to be rather refreshing for cadets. The end of the school year isn't too far away and yet some of us may feel weathered by all that we have to do. But as long as one is persistent, not only will one finish this long race, but one can finish well. Persistence is key. As we begin the next quarter, it gives us time to reflect on our accomplishments during the last two quarters and the things we are thankful for. The battalion has accomplished a lot during the last two quarters. You have endured the hardships of physical training at 6:30 in the morning, field training exercises in the rain and the relentless requirement of balancing ROTC requirements with your academic course load. Since the last newsletter, the spotlight has been on our Ranger Challenge team. They recently competed against 27 other teams. Our team demonstrated the heart and soul of every member of the Raider Battalion. They never gave up, remained positive, and pulled together as a team. Because of their performance, our team placed 16th overall and took 2nd place in the one-rope bridge competition. We truly have much to be thankful for and I encourage everyone to relax during your well deserved upcoming spring break and enjoy the time with family, friends and significant others. I look forward to welcoming everyone back to begin the spring quarter.

LTC Jeff Hughes, PMS, Commanding

Raider Cadet Battalion Commander
This quarter the Raider Battalion successfully completed all training events. The quarter’s training focus was aimed at preparing MSIII Cadets for field environment squad leader positions. While preparing the MSIII Cadets to be squad leaders the MSI and II Cadets learn to be members of a squad in a field environment. Our Day of Training (DOT) event was Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) conducted at the University of Dayton’s range. The event was a success and all Cadets who attended were able to fire and get familiar with their weapon. The spring quarter’s focus will be aimed at preparing the MSIIIs for LDAC and familiarizing all other Cadets with the skills that AROTC Cadets are expected to know. The spring quarter’s execution will take place primarily in a field environment and be the most hands on training quarter this year. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable spring break and I look forward to seeing you all next quarter.

C/LTC Fred Martin, IN, Cadet Battalion Commander

Raider Battalion Dining Out
Every winter quarter the Raider Battalion holds its annual Dining Out event which is a celebration of military heritage and tradition. This year it was held on February 25th at the Holiday Inn in Beavercreek, OH. Many traditions are observed during the event. The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) table ceremony honors those soldiers who have died in battle and have served valiantly in times of war. A series of toasts paying honor to the battalion, the university, the Army, the President, and our country are conducted by the Cadet Corps, cadre, and our guests. The Grog Ceremony highlighting the history and accomplishments of the Raider Battalion. This year guest speaker of the evening was Mr. Lee M. Stacey, a former US Army Ranger and currently the Regional Partner for Willis, a $2.3 billion global risk management firm. The Professor of Military Science, LTC Jeffrey A. Hughes, and C/LTC Fred Martin addressed the mess. Dinner selections for this year’s event were outstanding and delicious. Each military science class presented a skit representing life in the Raider Battalion. At the end of the evening, cadets and their guests danced to music provided by a DJ. Most importantly, the evening is a time for the cadets of the Raider Battalion to enhance their military social skills. The Dining Out Special Project Officer, C/MAJ Charles Smith did an excellent job and explains the process and lessons learned in a separate article. Photos are on the K Drive.

What is a SPO and Why Me?
The Military Ball has come and gone, but looking back it has been a long learning process. I was asked to do the Military Ball late September by CPT Chadwick, and I agreed. I was set to do multiple tasks before Christmas break came rolling up. I first got with CPT Chadwick and 2LT Glazier to see what was needed to get accomplished and what was involved. I set up all the committees and let the Cadets know what there jobs were; this is when things really started happening. Without the help of the MIII’s and MIV’s in charge, the Military Ball could not have happened. We ran into some problems along the way but it all worked out in the end, for a successful Military Ball. Through this whole process I learned that you have to work together and not get upset when things fall apart or do not goes as planned. Take a step back and figure out how to solve it and move on. This was a great learning experience for me and I am grateful I had the chance to do it.

C/MAJ Charles Smith, C/S5 Officer and Project Oficer

Cadets Pin On their Gold Bars
On 18 November 2005 four Raider Cadets took the officer oath and received their commissions from the President of the United States. 2LT Zachary Boes and 2LT Elisabeth Mixer graduated with degrees in electrical engineering and nursing, respectively. Both officers will be serving on active duty in their respective branches of Armor and Nurse Corps. In addition, two completion cadets, David Dunn and Stephfon Daniels, participated in the pinning ceremony although their commissions will not be official until they graduate later this SY. Over 50 family, friends, cadre, WSU officials, and cadets witnessed the ceremony in the Student Union Endeavor Room. In addition to the oath of office, and pinning ceremony, the “silver dollar salute” was rendered by each commissionee as well as special remarks by the PMS, LTC Jeffrey Hughes. Best wishes to all the new officers and continued success in your future careers!

Cadets Reach a Milestone
Congratulations to 17 new Raider Battalion cadets that contracted in during the fall quarter and January 2006. This is an important milestone in their pre-commissioning leadership development. Those who contracted since the end of the fall quarter are: MS I cadets – Amanda Autry, Megan Feltz, Andy Guidugli, Daniel Johnson, John Howard, Sean Lowry, and Amanda Preston; MS II cadets – Peter Anderson, Jorge Arquero-Kendall, Zach Fehrman, Justin Harden, and Adam Steinke; and MS III cadets – James Borchers, Brandon Huber, Kameron Lawson, Ben Sweeney, and Nick Wright. Good work cadets and we are proud of you. Continue your strong performance and drive hard to the ultimate goal of the “Gold Bar” and college degree!

Cadet Profile: Who am I?
I grew up in a town north of Dayton. I was a member of National Honor Society and the Computer Science Team. I played Varsity Football. I am an Eagle Scout. I am an Electrical Engineer, a member of Ranger Company, Color Guard, and the Rifle Team. I am also a member of the National Guard and work on the Air Force Base.

Do you know who I am?

Welcome SFC KuskoSFC David A. Kusko Jr. is the new Training & Operations NCOIC, and Instructor for the MS III Cadets. He has been in the Army for 12 ½ years and has held every position in a Mechanized Infantry Platoon to include Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant in Combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is coming to us from Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was a Platoon Sergeant and Instructor at the Mechanized Infantry Leaders Course. He is married and has three children and resides in Dayton, Ohio.

SFC Kusko Earns NCO recognition
Our new operations noncommissioned officer finished 2nd in this year’s region NCO of the Year competition which took place over three days at Fort Knox, Ky. He found out a week after he arrived at WSU that he would represent the university in the 7th Brigade NCO of the Year competition. He immediately started learning about Cadet Command. He said “being with Wright State a short time, he encountered the challenge of learning all about Cadet Command quickly”. But he didn’t let it be a roadblock to representing the Raider Battalion and brigade admirably. Kusko has been in the Army almost 13 years. He saw the Army as a path to maturity. Growing up in Southern California, he said he had no real goals or direction when he graduated high school. The Army gave him focus. SFC Kusko finished with 385 of a possible 480 points and only 14 points from the eventual winner, SFC Lilly, the Ops/Tng NCO from Virginia State. Congratulations SFC Kusko, we are very proud of you!

Leader Training Course
The Leader's Training Course (LTC) will give you some very special skills while simultaneously presenting you with a combination of mental and physical challenges. Specifically, challenges designed to test you by assessing and learning about your leadership skill and potential. It's full of adventure, excitement and fun. An added benefit is the opportunity it provides to meet many other college students and establish some valuable and potentially lifelong relationships. Moreover two-year scholarships are available for qualified applicants. In many ways, this course will raise your leadership stock in an amazingly short period of time. The 28-day Leader's Training Course is conducted during the summer at Fort Knox, Kentucky and it consists of three phases -- the "Future Leader" phase, "Bold Leader" phase and "Discover Gold" phase. If you have a friend, classmate, roommate, or associate who would be interested in LTC, encourage him/her to talk with LTC Arneson today. To check out more about LTC visit:
http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/leaders_training.jsp

Upcoming Raider EventsHere is just a basic outline of how the training will take place during next quarter. Some of the upcoming events will include at Joint FTX on 6, 7, 8, 9 April with CSU and UD at Fort Knox, KY. We will only be having a record PT test at the end of the quarter. We plan on having another Day of Training focusing on BRM at UD's indoor range. The lead labs will be more hands on and intensive focusing on all outdoor activities including STX lanes and Patrolling operations, as well as confidence training. All training will be more involved, especially for the MS IIIs, as they will be participating in weekly road marches to prepare for LDAC. We also plan on having an end of the year awards ceremony to reward the cadets for their hard work; this will be conducted on the 31 of May. Finally the commissioning ceremony will be on 10 June to complete the school year.

Ranger Company
Greetings fellow cadets! The Ranger Company congratulates you on yet another successful quarter in AROTC. Coming off of this great quarter I would like to formally invite all of you to give the WSU Ranger Company a try. Ranger Company is a group comprised of the best cadets in the entire Raider Battalion. We conduct operations and instructional classes well beyond the scope of your regular Lead Lab/MS Class. What we learn we put into practice both in appearance and action. We model ourselves after the famed Ranger units of the US Army. Your instructors are MS III Cadets who take a vested interest in those they teach, in addition to better preparing themselves for LDAC. Our cadre advisors are MAJ Manges and SFC Kusko (whose achievements speak for themselves), and you would be hard pressed to find a member of the higher MS VI hierarchy not associated with Ranger Company (notably Mr. Martin and Mr. Sraj). In addition to knowledge and experience, you’ll be laying the foundations for future success in the Raider Battalion. I have only to direct your attention to the cadet MS VI leadership to prove my point. To top it all off, you will be part of a close-knit, well-organized, and elite group of cadets who embody what it means to be a true Soldier. So if you want to challenge yourself to be a better cadet and get the most out of your time in Army ROTC, give the WSU Ranger Company a try. RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!!!

For more information contact:

CDT Wike, wike.2@wright.edu, (937) 572-3109

CDT Timmerman, ctim11@yahoo.com, (937) 684-5383

Raider Battalion Color Guard News
The Army ROTC Color Guard is an excellent program for cadets to get involved regardless of your MS year. It provides an excellent opportunity to become immersed in drill and ceremony all while representing Army ROTC in public functions. It is during the WSU basketball season that the Color Guard is busiest, performing at home games while also supporting other AROTC functions. I have found an increase in my pride and self-discipline through involvement in the Raider Color Guard. It is both a welcoming and prestigious program to get involved in while a member of the AROTC program. We practice a “Will to Win”! Come join us to learn how.
Cadet James Wilson, Raider Battalion Color Guard Captain

How to Contact Us:
328 Fawcett Hall, Wright State University

Dayton, OH 45435-0001
Additional information is at www.armyrotc.com and

www.wright.edu/academics/armyrotc