Has anyone here taken a ROTC wilderness survival class?

Sesoku

Sesoku

Joined
Oct 19, 1998
Messages
498
I'm not in ROTC but I had some spare time in my spring semester schedule so I signed up for the ROTC wilderness survival class at MSU. I just thought I would see if anyone has taken it or a similar class at another university somewhere.

This is the class description:

"Introduction to wilderness survival including the psychology of survival, survival planning, and survival kits; shelters; water procurement; fire craft ; field expedient weapons, tools, and equipment; desert, tropical, and cold weather survival; basic survival medicine; and food procurement."

I am really looking forward to it.

[This message has been edited by Sesoku (edited 12-19-2000).]
 
My son is thinking about ROTC. What are the age and prerequisites for attending an ROTC survival school?
 
A camp I worked at hosted the local High School Army JROTC summer camps. The techniques and information they taught was equivalent to the stuff the Boy Scouts teaches, but focused more on getting yourself rescued than getting yourself home. I do not think that JROTC lets you come along on these camps unless you've been in their program during the school year, but at the High School level, ROTC has no commitment attached, and is probably a more valuable class than Home Ec.

For folks of the High School age or slightly younger you might also try the Civil Air Patrol. Their primary purpose in life (As seen from an outsider, I don't know what their organization states as their goal) is to provide Search and Rescue teams. Frequently people associate them with planes but they also field ground teams and help with disaster preparedness. I'm sure they offer survival information/courses along with other stuff.

Personally, I would whole-heartedly reccomend ROTC to anyone slightly interested in the military. High School JROTC will put your foot in the door for college scholarships, or give you an extra stripe or two if you decide to enlist. College ROTC requires no commitment for the first two years of college (First one if they give you a scholarship) and will teach you useful leadership and managment techniques not commonly available in college courses.

As compared to the other commissioning sources, it has some nice benefits too. Everyone will get some scholarship money their Jr/Sr years of college, and full scholarships are relatively easy to come by. The Academies are cheaper, but do away with some of your social life. (Okay, all of your social life) They also teach military first, and academics second. OCS/OTS is the long way around, you have to do college all by yourself and either enlist and hope for a slot or go straight from the civilian life to an MTI waiting for a busload of officer candidates to torment.

Stryver, who's totally unbiased, of course.
 
Stryver,

How is the pilot training going.... Hope there are no knots
wink.gif
on the back of your head.



------------------
Greg Davenport
Simply Survival's Wilderness Survival Forum
Simply Survival's Web Page
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?
 
Greg

The weather bites. I was going to be almost done with this phase, but then we got socked in last week. Now I get to go home for Christmas, have a week and a half break, and come back to meet a checkride in the first week of January.

Other than that, I can't believe they pay me to do this!
smile.gif


Stryver
 
Hmmmmm, checkride... As I recall I made a lot of thumping sticks for instructor pilots to use during these drills....

A word of caution:

If you see a long thick branch, that has a big round knob on its free end, in the instructors hand.... duck
smile.gif


------------------
Greg Davenport
Simply Survival's Wilderness Survival Forum
Simply Survival's Web Page
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?
 
*grin*

They don't need thumping sticks. They get grade sheets... Those are far worse. My idea of _fun_ is to wear metal and leather and swing sticks at my friends, and bruises go away fast. These grades determine my career...
smile.gif


I'm done with planes for this year. I go home for Christmas tomorrow. I have two flights when I get back, then one checkride, followed by another half dozen flights and my last checkride. Five months ago I never would have believed it would go by this fast, or that it would have taken this much effort.

Stryver

 
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