From Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3, more than 50 Marine Corps students of the CU Boulder Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) conducted a field exercise at an outdoor training location near Colorado Springs.
CU Naval ROTC students conducting a field exercise at an outdoor training location near Colorado Springs
The purpose of the field exercise was for Marines and soon-to-be Marines to get a taste of dynamic and challenging military operations and to apply in a tactical environment what they have learned on campus. They did this by practicing and evaluating land navigation, communication techniques and other military tactical skills and competencies. It was the culmination of the year’s NROTC training.
NROTC Marine Corps students rehearsed fundamental field operation skills entirely in an outdoor environment with diverse terrain that was geographically conducive to realistic military training. The students conducted a progression of events which included: day and night land-navigation scenarios, Marine Corps tactical base operations and force-on-force simulations.
While underclassmen focused on fundamental skills and teamwork operating in a military field environment, the upperclassmen honed their small unit leadership skills to lead their teams to accomplish military objectives. The highlight of the three-day evolution was the Small Unit Leadership Evaluation, otherwise known as the SULE, which tested one’s ability to lead a squad through a mission, overcoming obstacles and defeating opposing forces. After each training event, a thorough review and debrief was conducted so every participant received specific feedback on what went well and what could be improved upon.
The event coordinator was Staff Sgt. Zachary Soto (USMC), a CU Boulder senior studying business administration with an emphasis on leadership and management, who will graduate in May 2022. The assistant coordinator was Staff Sgt. Travis Nardi (USMC), a CU Boulder junior studying English, who is scheduled to graduate in May 2023. Through the NROTC program, upon their graduations, both staff sergeants will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps.
Midshipman Emerson Schroeder (USMCR), a freshman studying international affairs at CU Boulder, was excited to practice lessons and skills learned through the NROTC classroom and practical instruction over the fall and spring semesters. She said, “The night land navigation course was difficult, but after some guidance from Staff Sgt. Nardi and Midshipman Lewis, I became much more confident and was able to find my points.”
When Soto and the NROTC team returned to CU Boulder, their job was not done until they completed an after-action review. The after-action review encompassed a compilation of valuable feedback, evaluation results and analysis and discussion of what happened in each phase of the exercise. It resulted in development of strategies for improving students’ performance and the event in the future.
The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Program is a program at many colleges and universities to educate and train young women and men for service as commissioned officers in the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy. Learn more about about the NROTC program at CU Boulder.
