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

Page 19 text:

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)

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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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A truck plowed through a frothy pool of filthy brown water, fighting to keep safe in the wake of the vehicle in front of it. Water rolled away to either side of its bumper, a determined washing over everything in its path. The truck shuddered, threatening to stall and leave the antique chair in the back stranded in the middle of flooded streets. Trucks piled with belongings, making their way through the perpetually water, a common occurrence as flood victims transported their possessions out of harms way. News of the flooding in Manhattan came as a shock to Ted Kadau, senior in journalism and mass communications. Kadau, who had been interning in Arkansas City, learned his trailer park was being evacuated by Trina Holmes while listening to KMKF-FM 101.5 at his girlfriend ' s house. The next day, July 19, Kadau and 15 other North Crest trailer park residents filled sandbags. I wanted to help, Kadau said. There were people sandbagging who didn ' t live here. When something like this happens, although you ' re not from Manhattan, you want to help people. Kadau found sandbagging his own trailer futile. This realization forced him to put his valuables as far off the floor as possibl e and leave the rest to chance. The reason floods suck so bad is you don ' t know what the hell to do, Kadau said. I mean, with a tornado you know it ' s coming and half an hour later it ' s gone. With a snowstorm, it comes and goes away. A flood creeps toward you inch by inch and when it hits you, it ruins all you have and there ' s nothing you can do about it. Residents weren ' t the only ones battling against the flood. At the Linear Park Blue River Access Recreation Area, city employees tried to keep the flood waters out of downtown Manhattan by building a dam across a gap in the levy made by railroad tracks. Most of the city workers have stopped doing their regular duties, said Terry Irwin, senior in industrial (Continued on page 18) Kadau, senior in journalism and mass communications, watches the flood waters as he drives his Dodge pickup loaded with possessions to higher ground. Kadau removed as many belongings as possible before Manhattan Avenue, the only traversable road between Hunter ' s Island and Manhattan, became completely submerged. Wildcat Creek flooded the area after Milford and Tuttle Creek spillways were opened because of rising water. (Photo by Brian W Kratzer) CREEPING INCH BY INCH INCH BY INCH flood waters invade Manhattan Water rushes out of the Tuttle Creek spillway July 19. The second day the spillway gates were opened 8 inches each, releasing about 20,000 cubic feet of water per second. When the gates were closed Aug. 9, the land south of the spillway had been worn away by the rushing water. (Photo by Cary Conover)