Army majors discuss military changes to UA ROTC
Jack Willems
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: News
Maj. Benjamin Luper of the U.S. Army visited the UA Reserve Officer Training Corps, a program he was in as a UA undergraduate, last week. Luper and Maj. Ryker Horn were there to tell the cadets what to expect when they graduate.
After Luper graduated from the UA in 1996, he was sent to Fort Bragg to train, he said. However, today's cadets will face a different situation out of college, Luper said.
"When I graduated, it was all about training," Luper said. "When these guys come out, they will take their basic training course, and then they will be put into a unit to be deployed in six months or sent to a unit already deployed. We really have not seen anything like that since Vietnam."
Luper, now in his 12th year in the U.S. Army, has seen the Army in peacetime and in war. Luper served two tours of duty in Iraq and is now in the Command General Staff College, the institution that makes field officers into staff officers, he said. Horn is trying to make the same jump into the higher ranks.
"It's a graduate school for soldiers," Luper said.
Luper and Horn both came from military families. Luper's father served in the National Guard for 20 years while Horn's father served in the Army for 33 years. Horn attended The Citadel, and his sister went to school at West Point. Horn's family moved around from one base to another when he was a kid, and he said he learned that military service has a culture all its own.
"I envy the guy who lives in Fayetteville, Ark., his whole life and has lifelong friends," Horn said. "There's probably some envy when people watch Army commercials on television."
While it didn't exactly push them, growing up in a military family encouraged both Luper and Horn to go into military careers.
"It's the same thing when you see multiple doctors in the same family," Luper said. "Your dad comes home wearing green, you hear him talk about what he did today and you think that's pretty cool."
Luper first joined for four years in 1997 with the intent of a 20-year career that would allow him to draw a pension, he said. Since then, he has known both the fun and pain of Army life.
After Luper graduated from the UA in 1996, he was sent to Fort Bragg to train, he said. However, today's cadets will face a different situation out of college, Luper said.
"When I graduated, it was all about training," Luper said. "When these guys come out, they will take their basic training course, and then they will be put into a unit to be deployed in six months or sent to a unit already deployed. We really have not seen anything like that since Vietnam."
Luper, now in his 12th year in the U.S. Army, has seen the Army in peacetime and in war. Luper served two tours of duty in Iraq and is now in the Command General Staff College, the institution that makes field officers into staff officers, he said. Horn is trying to make the same jump into the higher ranks.
"It's a graduate school for soldiers," Luper said.
Luper and Horn both came from military families. Luper's father served in the National Guard for 20 years while Horn's father served in the Army for 33 years. Horn attended The Citadel, and his sister went to school at West Point. Horn's family moved around from one base to another when he was a kid, and he said he learned that military service has a culture all its own.
"I envy the guy who lives in Fayetteville, Ark., his whole life and has lifelong friends," Horn said. "There's probably some envy when people watch Army commercials on television."
While it didn't exactly push them, growing up in a military family encouraged both Luper and Horn to go into military careers.
"It's the same thing when you see multiple doctors in the same family," Luper said. "Your dad comes home wearing green, you hear him talk about what he did today and you think that's pretty cool."
Luper first joined for four years in 1997 with the intent of a 20-year career that would allow him to draw a pension, he said. Since then, he has known both the fun and pain of Army life.
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