Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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One of the three UH-60A Blackhawk helicopters carries ROTC cadets over K-18 on the way to the insertion site near Milford Lake. The cadets were picked up in the KSU Stadium parking lot where they were returned 30 hours later by Blackhawks stationed at Marshall Army Airfield in Fort Riley. (Photo by J. Kyle Wyatt) Hansen and Ben O ' Dell prepare a defensive position late in the on the first day of the FTX. The position was on the side of a berm and fortified by an M-60 machine gun and an M-16 rifle. (Photo by J. Kyle Wyatt)

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TRAINING IN THE FIELD Rangers gain realistic experience through exercises by Bren Workman pulsating whop-whop sound of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters intensified as they came in for a landing on the KSU Stadium parking lot. The 23 students of the ROTC Ranger Company went airborne April 17, 1993, to spend the next 30 hours in the field-training exercise, FTX. The main purpose of the weekend was to put all of the Rangers ' technical knowledge to the test, said John Highfill, Ranger commander and senior in engineering technology. The FTX provided the group training as well as goals to strive toward. The students are trained in light infantry tactics, said Dave Almquist, Ranger executive officer and senior in animal sciences and industry. The goal of the operation is to develop leadership skills, which are crucial to all military officers. The FTX started with an air insertion to the training site, courtesy of three Blackhawk helicopters. The students later performed boat operations, using two RB-15 Zodiac Commando Assault Boats, and took a 10-km foot march with a rucksack. They finished with an air insertion back to the KSU Stadium parking lot. When we train the Rangers, we train realistically, Highfill said. We also outfitted the Rangers in the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System, MILES, for the FTX. The MILES is the military ' s form of laser warfare, which also adds an extra sense of realism to field training. The Ranger Company was composed of basic-and-advanced course cadets from the U.S Army and Air Force ROTC. One of the good lessons learned through the Rangers is the ability to (Continued on page 15) Heath Polkinghorn, Manhattan armed with a light anti-tank weapon and an M-16, consults his map of the area while in a wooded ravine. All M-16s carried by the were fitted with a laser that set off a loud buzz on a harness worn by cadets when they were shot. (Photo by J. Kyle Wyatt)

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ROTC ROTC Ranger Mike Katz, senior in statistics and officer, David Almquist, senior in animal sciences and and officer, and Steve O ' Neil, senior in management and officer, laugh at jokes during a break in the first day ' s training. The three acted as evaluators for the younger cadets by observing and pointing out and errors after the missions were completed. (Photo by J. Kyle Wyatt) (Continued from page 13) cope with a variety of situations and how to best lead your troops to accomplish the mission, said Ben Kearns, junior in sociology. The Rangers had a wide variety of missions to accomplish. The Rangers were first given a mission to destroy an enemy radio station, secure a docking area and set up a defensive position for a possible enemy attack, Highfill said. The only problem was all three missions had to be performed Later, Rangers used RB-15 boats to conduct a combat amphibious landing on the shore of Milford Lake to position themselves for an assault on the enemy. The Rangers ' enemy was known as the opposing forces, OP FOR. The OPFOR is mainly of volunteer basic course who have a specific mission to harass and test the Rangers ' combat effectiveness, Highfill said. They ensure that the training is as realistic as possible. Many of the tactics the OPFOR used made Rangers keenly aware of the importance of the field training. Even though all of the tasks conducted at the FTX were light infantry-based, everyone improves their leadership abilities under the fast-action scenarios against the OPFOR, said Steve O ' Neil, senior Ranger evaluator and senior in management. Ranger Company cadets learned necessary skills for their future as armed forces officers. This goal was achieved with the help of Fort Riley Army post. Very few active duty units in the Army can conduct a 30-hour exercise using as many different assets as we did, O ' Neil said. We have an advantage of the of Fort Riley to perform some complex field operation scenarios. The main purpose of the weekend was to put all of the Rangers ' technical knowledge to the test. John Highfill, senior in engineering technology Ranger platoon sergeant Joel Snyder, senior in agricultural technology management, contacts mission headquarters for instructions shortly after deployment near the north shore of Milford Lake. Snyder ' s platoon later had to manuever through opposing forces to reach their objective. (Photo by J. Kyle Wyatt)