Letter to the Editor: Why I wear my military uniform to class

Every Wednesday I wear my ACUs (Army Combat Uniform) to classes. Every week I get the same question, “Why are you wearing your uniform?” I tried to come up with an answer but it’s tough. How can I explain to the questioner exactly why I am wearing a uniform? I generally reply, “I have Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) classes or labs today, and it’s required to wear our uniforms.” They usually become more curious after I say this because most students do not know what ROTC means, or that Alfred even has an ROTC program. I have reached my wit’s end because I cannot give an answer in a few short minutes explaining ROTC because of all that the training consists of. There is a lot more to being in the program than students realize.

ROTC is a program run by the military to train prospective officers while they are in college. Alfred State and Alfred University are satellite schools of Saint Bonaventure’s ROTC program. The ROTC program at St. Bonaventure is run by the Army, while other schools may have ROTC programs run by other military branches: Navy, Air Force, Marines, etc. For most colleges, ROTC classes are accepted for college credit. Once a week, I have a class to learn more about the Army and participate in a hands-on activity so that I may gain practical experience.

There is a class portion and a lab portion that is held once a week. The class usually goes over topics such as rank structure, first-aid, courtesies, etc. The labs usually consist of exercises in the field or other training opportunities. The lab is the really fun part. The best is shooting the M-16, land navigation, or using the paintball guns. Drill ceremony is done periodically to show us how to march. There are two field exercises each year, which consist of activities culminating what we’ve learned for the semester. A formal military ball is held in the spring semester.

A myth I’d like to dispel is that because you are in ROTC class, you are not committed to serving yet. The only way you would have to commit is if you earned a scholarship. If you are granted a scholarship you must sign a contract and take an oath to serve our country.

We wear uniforms to our classes on Wednesday because that is the day we have class. It is tradition that we wear them. It displays our pride in the Army, identifies us as part of a group of proud cadets, and reminds us that even though we are college students, we are held and hold ourselves to the standards of soldiers and officers of the United States Army!

If you attend or are thinking about attending Alfred State or Alfred University and have comments or questions, please free to contact me via email at kcb5@alfred.edu, or come check out the class for yourself. We meet Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in the basement of the Orvis Center on the Alfred State campus.

Cadet Kenneth Bellows
First-year