PP
PP
PP
THE
ROTC
EXPERIENCE
“ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU;
ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY,” PRESIDENT
JOHN F. KENNEDY SAID. BUT WHY NOT ASK BOTH?
Matthew Harley discovered he could serve his
In addition, ROTC members have to
country and receive benefits in return when
maintain a 2.5 GPA with 30 hours of Naval
he joined the Reserved Officer Training Corps
ROTC classes.
(ROTC) scholarship program.
But all of this commitment did not prevent
As the third generation to join the Navy,
Harley from enjoying his time at college. “I
Harley followed in the footsteps of his father
had plenty of time to do other things,” he said.
and grandfather.
“I was in a social fraternity on campus and
Harley had to go through a rigorous apthen also had downtime to just be a normal
plication process throughout high school to
college student. There’s time to have fun.”
receive the scholThere is also
arship. “I had to
a lot to learn
maintain a good
from the ROTC
grade point average,
program besides
“REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU WANT
stay out of trouble
military tactics.
TO PURSUE THE MILITARY AS LIFELONG
and have no disci“The best things
CAREER, ROTC TEACHES LEADERSHIP SKILLS
plinary problems,”
I learned were
AND ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS THAT
Harley explained.
probably how
“I registered for the
to be more asARE IMPORTANT NO MATTER WHAT YOU
scholarship online,
sertive, better
CHOOSE TO DO.” which then consisted
time manageMAJOR JOEL JACKSON, SCHOLARSHIP OFFICER
of filling out a long
ment skills and
AND RECRUITING OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR ARMY
application, includto always have
ROTC AT AUM AND CENTRAL ALABAMA
ing five essays.”
a plan,“ Harley
He then had to go
said.
through a two-round interview process to be
Harley graduated from Auburn University
approved.
in 2012 with a degree in Materials EngineerOnce approved, Harley was able to reap the
ing. He commissioned as an Ensign in the
benefits of having college paid for while also
United States Navy and is stationed at NAS
learning self-discipline through the program.
Pensacola for flight school.
“My scholarship covered all tuition and fees.
When accepting an ROTC scholarship,
It also included a stipend that paid me bistudents must commit a certain amount of
monthly for some living expenses and a book
time to the United States Military following
stipend,” he said.
graduation. “My commitment begins once I
Along with the scholarship, students are
leave flight school and get my wings. Then I
committed to preparation for military service.
have to serve eight years,” Harley said. “Right
Harley described some of the responsibilities:
now, I’m happy with the job commitment.”
“We had drill twice a week from 6:30 to 7:45
Harley’s advice to any students considering
a.m., which consisted of marching, classapplying for the ROTC scholarship is to do
room instruction and various things to help
their research. “Talk to people who have done
adapt to Navy lifestyle. We also had physical
it. Talk to a recruiter; if you have someone in
training on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6
your town, call them up and talk to them. The
a.m., consisting of running approximately
best thing you can do is get as much informathree miles, doing push-ups, sit-ups and other
tion as you can because it is a big commitaerobic exercises.”
ment, but overall I think it is very satisfying.”
PPPPPP
28
www.potentialmagazine.com
k
A DAY IN THE LIFE
P P P AT FORT BENNING
Auburn High 9th grader Mitchell Mashburn recently spent a day job shadowing at
Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. He’s always
wanted to serve his community in some
form, possibly as a fireman or police officer,
or maybe as a member of the armed forces.
His time with Major Joel Jackson has given
him new insight on what military service
means and what it offers him for the future.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
YOU LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCE?
The most important thing I learned would
probably be the path I should take to
become an officer. I didn’t know about that
before I job shadowed, and it is very important for a military career.
WHAT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING THING
YOU LEARNED?
That there are 17 sections in the Army, so
there are a lot of different tracks you could
take.
WHAT WAS THE COOLEST PART OF THE
DAY?
The last thing we did was go look at the M2
Bradleys [infantry fighting vehicles]. They
let me hop in and see what it was like. I definitely want to drive one of these one day!
WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE OTHER TEENS
TO AT LEAST EXPLORE MILITARY CAREER
OPTIONS FOR THEMSELVES?
Yes, other teens should at least look into it.
You never know if you don’t ask!
P.S. The Army has really cool swag!
I got a backpack, cups, a great survival
tool and other things.