FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Aug. 28, 2014) -- Forty-four ROTC cadets from across the nation spent their summer as interns with the 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment. The internship, which is called Drill Cadet Leader Training, allowed cadets to receive experience as platoon leaders in the Basic Combat Training environment.
Capt. Antonia Andrews, commander of Company B, 3-34th, said her main goal during the program was to teach cadets the necessary skills to commission as officers.
"I think this program is great," Andrews said. "Cadets get exposure to working with platoon sergeants and build that relationship. A lot of lieutenants come to the platoon and have not worked with noncommissioned officers. I feel that the relationship with a platoon sergeant will either make new officers or break them in the Army because NCOs are the ones on the ground."
Cadets in DCLT received a hands-on experience and a chance to observe and participate in the company's daily events.
Cadet Olivia McQuail from Georgetown University described her experience at DCLT as a life lesson.
"I like being able to interact with the drill sergeants," McQuail said. "We spend four years in ROTC, learning how to be officers, but rarely get the opportunity to ask questions of and learn from NCOs as experienced and dedicated as the drill sergeants here at Fort Jackson."
In addition to the guidance from NCOs, cadets received professional development training from the officers in the company. The training included the initial counseling of platoon sergeants, company training meetings and risk management. Cadets learned simple tasks like reading the wet bulb globe thermometer as well as more complex tasks like planning and coordinating for the platoon duty week or requesting ammunition for range training.
First Lt. Colin Davis, executive officer of Company B, 3-34, was in charge of the professional development training of the cadets. He stressed how important it was for the cadets to be able delegate and justify their decisions.
"It is important to become comfortable with delegation as opposed to being an individual executing the tasks," Davis said. "My goal was to give cadets at least a base concept of what actually needs to happen to get things done."
Two of the four cadets assigned to Company B went through basic training at Fort Jackson before participating in ROTC. Cadet John Marsteller from the Georgia Military College described his experience at the DCLT as deja vu.
"It is interesting to see the other side, to be honest," Marsteller said. "It is cool to see it from the different side. You just remember how bad it was. Now you look back and it looks easy. But I understand the trainees and what they are going through."
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