KILLEEN, TX — ROTC, the Reserve Officers Training Corps, aims to prepare young men and women for military leadership and that is exactly what they are doing at Texas A&M Central Texas.
”We have so far commissioned 241 2nd Lieutenants into the U.S. Army. They come from a wide background. We have some that have prior service and they come right to us from Fort Hood. They come here to get their degree and also go through our program,” said MAJ Kyle Surridge, assistant professor of Military Science at A&M-Central Texas.
When they are not in class, they go through rigorous military and physical training.
”Getting them to understand," said MAJ Surridge. "Taking that next step from being a young 18-year-old to now, leading soldiers to complete a mission.”
A&M Central Texas is a fairly new university, which leaves cadets to often train in open parking lots and fields. But not anymore, they now have a military-grade obstacle course.
”This course will help them build themselves, both mentally and physically because they will b=get their own challenge. A lot of people have never even seen an obstacle course,” said Arroyo Virginio, ROTC Cadet at Texas A&M Central Texas.
Virginio, who served eight years in the Army before joining the ROTC program, was blown away when he heard they were getting the course.
”It means a lot. At least for me as a person and for the program since not a lot of schools have the opportunity to have an actual obstacle course.” said Virginio.
It’s all thanks to a donation from the folks at Judge Don and Deborah Higginbotham Educational Foundation.
”We have a very good working relationship with the school, and we had a need and they had the means to help us with that need.” said MAJ Surridge.
The university is inviting the public at 1 p.m. on Wednesday for the official unveiling of the obstacle course and to see what the cadets can do on it.
