Cadet Experience

Photo courtesy of C/Moye Det 172

Being in Air Force ROTC has its perks. Come join and hear some of the stories cadets have to share about their time in ROTC, and the skills they’ve learned on their incredible journeys all over the globe.

 

Robins AFB Air Show - Sep 28, 2019

On September 28, about 20 members of UGA AFROTC made their way over to Robins Air Force Base to attend an air show featuring many different planes from all different eras, countries, and types. The air show was headlined by the Air Force Thunderbirds, a team of elite Air Force Pilots that fly F-16 Fighting Falcons in various formations, and perform many head spinning tricks in their single-engine aircraft.

Additionally, there were pilots, current and former, on the ground showing civilians and ROTC cadets alike the inner workings of each plane that was made available for display.

There were many other experiences that AFROTC cadets had the opportunity to participate in, Cadets were permitted to shadow the entire security detail, from the great enlisted men guarding the exits to the base, to the dedicated officers working to coordinate all the difficult security tasks that come with an airshow featuring active military planes like the F-16, F-22, and the C-17. We even had the privilege of learning the basics of flying from pilots who participated in the air show! There was a chance for every cadet to gain knowledge and early experience in their respective field of interest!

Cadet 4th Class Tanner Goins, a freshman from Chatsworth, Georgia who hopes to fly C-17 cargo planes said his favorite thing about the air show was getting “to sit in the pilot's seat of a heavy German aircraft, while a German pilot sat beside me and gave me a run down of the plane.” He said the event was an opportunity to be reminded “to remain grateful for my opportunity to serve, I met a lot of people who never got the chance to because of a situation they could not change.”

Cadet 2nd Lieutenant James Allen, a junior from Augusta, Georgia who is an intended OSI special agent, loved the sonic booms and jet engine roars of the F-22 Raptor that did a demonstration at the show and said “it's completely different seeing them in person compared to seeing them in a video.” He’s glad he had the opportunity to go to the air show because he acquired some early experience about what a typical day for someone in the security/agent field was like. He was thankful he got to see things from the perspective of an Enlisted member “and how they perceive the divide that has always existed between the Officer and Enlisted, or Security Forces and OSI (office of special investigations).”

Some of the many notable aircraft that made an appearance at the air show were: the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk - a plane flown by the Flying Tigers in China, and even the RAF during the North Africa Campaign in 1942 and 1943, the North American P-51D Mustang - an air supremacy and escort fighter used in the second half of World War II that is possibly the most iconic US fighter in history, the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star - the first operational jet fighter used by the American Air Force, the de Haviland Vampire - a British-made jet fighter that was the first jet to take off from an aircraft carrier, the F-16 Fighting Falcon - a highly successful single-engine fighter that is still in operation in massive numbers today, the McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor - the first operational stealth fighter used by America and its allies (the best fighter jet in the world), and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster - a massive plane with a takeoff run of only 1000 meters.

Photo courtesy of C/Moye Det 172

 Above article submitted by C/Johnston

 

Life as a New Cadet

Like his AS100 classmates, Cadet Jeremy Troiano is new to Detachment 160 and the University of Georgia as a whole. No stranger to the Armed Forces, C/Troiano is a proud Air Force brat with both parents having served as enlisted Airmen during his childhood. He decided that he wanted to join ROTC as a freshman at Lowndes High School in Valdosta Georgia. He became a color guard commander in Lowndes’s AFJROTC program. He was surprised but not disappointed to find that Detachment 160 is less than half the size of his JROTC unit. C/Troiano believes that the smaller size has allowed him to form more meaningful connections with his fellow cadets. He has been able to form closer bonds in a month at UGA than he did in three years at Lowndes.

C/Troiano hopes to commission in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the future. He has always liked the idea of a law career and because of the example of his parents, he has decided to pursue such a career within the military. C/Troiano thinks that, for him, ROTC is the best path towards achieving his dreams of becoming an Air Force lawyer. As an intended Philosophy major, C/Troiano is currently studying hard to earn his undergraduate degree.

C/Troiano has found adjusting to college life easier than he expected. He has been able to balance his duties as a cadet and his responsibilities as a student fairly well. Two things which have helped him are the fact that his classes are shorter than they were in high school and that he knows what to expect as far as workload from each course. He has been managing his time so well in fact that he has joined the University's Mock Trial team “just to add something else to the plate.”

He had been looking forward to picking up where he left off in high school as a member of honor guard now in college but is unsure what that will look like with the coronavirus pandemic still affecting things so heavily in Athens. One of Troiano’s ambitions is to join the Arnold Air Society. C/Troiano was always taught the importance of service for as long as he can remember and he believes that giving back to the community is pretty cool. Like a true cadet and citizen, he tries to put the needs of others and the greater good before his own.

So far, Troiano’s favorite part about being a cadet at the University of Georgia is the comradery he has encountered at the detachment. He observes, “...everyone’s here to challenge you but no one is here to hinder you.” Understandably, he does not enjoy rising before 0600 for Physical Training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Not one to complain, he adds that he understands that PT is for the better and humbly admits that it is an area in need of improvement on his part. C/Troiano is excited to be a part of the program in general and embraces all surprises that might come his way. He appreciates the structure that comes with joining AFROTC as well as the unpredictability that comes with being a brand new cadet. C/Troiano’s thoughts on his experience at Detachment 160 can be summed up in the statement “I’m just ready for whatever they throw at me.” 

By  C/Acosta, Oct 2020