New cadets receive their gear during the first week of ROTC |
Returning to the
UMass Amherst ROTC Building on a cold February Tuesday with a rucksack on his
back, UMass Sophomore George McCormick was in good spirits. He had just
completed a 3-mile march with a 30lb pack. This concept may seem crazy,
carrying around all that weight for such a long distance, but to McCormick, it
helps pay for school.
McCormick is one of
the estimated 30,000 ROTC cadets in more than 1,400 universities across the
country who are taking advantage of military benefits and working his way through
college in exchange for service. With ROTC enrollments reaching all-time highs
(Army ROTC alone with 36,474 cadets in
2011) and with recruiters meeting and exceeding their enlistment quotas, we see
that these educational benefits could play a significant role.