WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (July 14, 2022) On Friday, June 8, White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) Commander Brig. Gen. Eric D. Little and Command Sgt. Maj. Jose G. Melendez held a speaking engagement at a facility on post with Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets, Sophia Bergen, Hailey Goodman and Brian Wang, who just completed their first week out of a six-week internship at WSMR. Bergen and Goodman are returning for their second year after having attended the internship virtually online last year.
Little and Melendez discussed their military careers, the knowledge and wisdom they gained and answered questions the cadets had. Little discussed in depth the Army’s three pillar attributes of leadership which include character, presence and intellect, especially when serving in conflict environments. “The number one thing to remember, no matter what you choose to do in life, is that a key element to your success is how you treat people,” said Little. “Be open and honest with those you are leading.”
Melendez discussed how maintaining relationships with dignity and respect can produce life-long rewards through the trials and rewards that come with military careers. “It isn’t about avoiding the mistakes you make, it’s about how you react to those mistakes,” said Melendez.
“When I joined ROTC, I wanted to pursue academic passions and serve in the military which is an experience I couldn’t get from going to a military academy full time. So, getting to pursue science and engineering and still be able to wear the uniform is a really special experience and getting to do that here puts all of those ideas I had as a freshman, into reality,” said Bergen, who studied environmental engineering at Cornell University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in civil engineering.
“I’ve had a lot of one-on-one computer science experience because of this program compared to my peers. It helps me stand out,” said Goodman, who studied environmental engineering at the University of Central Florida and is pursuing a Ph.D. in the same field. “This has exposed me to new environments and new people with other areas of expertise that I’m not familiar with and that are not available to me at my university.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something like this. I have already learned so much. Even though the work that is done here is not in my field of study, there is a surprising amount of overlap in how we conduct research,” said Wang, who studied biology at Boston College and is preparing for medical school.
The Cadets have five more weeks on WSMR where they will work with post employees on projects, do physical fitness training at least once a week with Little and Melendez, and explore what the local Las Cruces community has to offer.
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