Dartmouth ROTC Cadets Get Oriented

News subtitle

Students had only a map, compass, and protractor for a navigation training exercise.

Dartmouth ROTC cadets headed into the woods early on Nov. 2 for basic navigation training. Led by Army ROTC instructors Maj. Nicholas Spaulding and 2nd Lt. Ian Short, the Dartmouth ROTC coordinator, the cadets’ mission was to find and record the codes from a series of markers in the training area using only a map, compass, and protractor. As part of the leadership training, the junior and senior class cadets set up the course and led group training in non-digital navigation for the first-year and sophomore cadets. As some students admitted, this clean break from GPS was at first … disorienting

Photos
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ROTC members walking down a path
Brian Zheng ’24, right, Dylan Griffith ’25, and their fellow cadets pace out 100 yards to gain a better understanding of distances when navigating in the field. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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ROTC member with a pamphlet in the woods
Charles Fenn ’22 directs first-year and sophomore cadets after assigning coordinates for the exercise. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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American flag patch on military uniform
The cadets wear the flag on the right shoulder with the stars facing forward so that the stripes stream backwards as the soldier moves forward. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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ROTC leader speaking with cadets
Dartmouth ROTC program coordinator Ian Short gives feedback on the results of the exercise, as Maj. Nick Spaulding, ROTC instructor for Dartmouth and Norwich University, listens. Spaulding, wearing captain’s bars here, was formally awarded his new rank later that day. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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ROTC member standing on a rock
Cadet Karina Mitchell ’23 sets out to find the next marker on the course after logging the code from the marker at right. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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ROTC member with a pamphlet in the woods
Brian Zheng ’24 closes in on his next navigation marker. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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Soldier looking through field equipment
Sophia Emmoth ’24 sets a compass heading. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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Two ROTC members in the woods
William Ritter ’22, left, and David Appleton ’24 work together in a training exercise. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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Three ROTC members smiling
Logan Lukenda ’22, left, David Appleton ’24, and Charles Fenn ’22 debrief after their training day. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
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An ROTC cadet looks through a compass
Cadet Karina Mitchell ’23 uses her compass to set a heading. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)