Courtesy Photo
This summer the Bronco Battalion ranked number one in the country out of 273 programs in Recondo at the Leadership Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Seattle, Wash. Every summer the Western Michigan University Army ROTC program sends cadets who have finished their junior year of college to LDAC. This year WMU sent 17 Cadets.
LDAC is 29 days of training during which cadets from around the country participate in land navigation tests, the Army Physical Fitness Test, confidence/obstacle courses on land and water and situational training exercises. Cadets receive advanced leadership training and those who achieve certain standards in designated events are awarded the Recondo Badge. This year, 53 percent of Broncos received the badge, more than any other program in the nation. Additionally, the Bronco Battalion finished in the top 10 percent nationally in two other major categories, finishing fourth in one and 17th in the other. By all measures, WMU finished as the top program in Michigan and one of the top two in our five state region.
Additionally, this past summer, the Bronco Battalion had cadets participate in other off-campus training, including Airborne and Air Assault School. One cadet, after graduation from LDAC, had the opportunity through Cadet Troop Leader Training to lead an Infantry unit in Hawaii for three weeks. Six other cadets, through the Culture Understanding and Language program, participated in fully funded study abroad programs in countries like Mongolia, Thailand, The Marshall Islands, Angola, Lithuania and Korea. Finally, two nursing cadets received advanced clinical experiences at Army Hospitals in Yongson, Korea and San Antonio, Texas.
ROTC is the premier leadership training program in the country and cadets who complete the program are commissioned as U.S. Army officers. WMU has a tradition of producing some of the finest officers dating back to 1950 when the program was established and consistently ranks among the top ROTC programs nationally.
-Heather Dunham
WMU ROTC Student
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