Mason ROTC

9/11 Day of Service was a day of reflection and community service—for all ages

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:12:01 +0000

9/11 Day of Service was a day of reflection and community service—for all ages Lauren Reuscher Thu, 09/19/2024 - 10:12

George Mason �鶹�� students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered on Wednesday, Sept. 11, for the 12^th annual Mason Nation 9/11 Day of Service. Since its inception, the day of service has been an opportunity to reflect on the value of individual contributions toward social change and the ways in which individuals can support their community through service projects.

The Mason Nation 9/11 Day of Service took place across locations on the Fairfax Campus, with an opening ceremony and luncheon in the Johnson Center. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

Over 200 George Mason students, faculty, staff, and alumni joined the day’s activities. Service activities occurred across campus, a service fair provided a chance to learn about year-round volunteer opportunities, and a luncheon honored first responders, active members of the military, veterans, and volunteers.

The event was hosted by �鶹�� Life, and the planning team included campus partners from departments and offices around the university.

George Mason ROTC's Patriot Battalion Color Guard at the 9/11 Day of Service ceremony. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

Service activities included a clothing, diaper, and wipe drive for Women Giving Back; a book drive to benefit the City of Fairfax Regional Library; assembling blankets and chew toys for the Prince William Animal Shelter; creating cards and flower pots for a local assisted living community, working in the campus Greenhouse and Gardens, and more. In partnership with Van Metre Companies, volunteers put together almost 300 snack bags to support children at Pattie Elementary School in Prince William County.

Volunteers work in the Innovation Food Forest for the 9/11 Day of Service. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of �鶹�� Branding

Fourth and fifth grade students from Pattie Elementary also participated in the event. Members of the school’s P.O.P. Club (Paws of Positivity), a before and after school service club, visited George Mason for the day. Thanks to a grant from the Harvey S. Lowe, Jr. and Susan Hitchcock-Lowe Foundation, the university provided transportation, lunch, and project supplies for the students.

Students from Pattie Elementary School shared remarks on stage. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

During the opening ceremony and luncheon, students from Pattie Elementary took the stage to share what 9/11 means to them—children who, like many of today’s college students, were not born before September 11, 2001.

Students from the Pattie Elementary School P.O.P. Club joined the service activities. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

“In the P.O.P. club, we give back to our community through acts of service. Service is a way to show kindness and make our communities better. Whether it’s helping a friend, cleaning up trash, or doing something nice for someone, every little act of service counts. When we serve others, we spread positivity and help make the world a better place. So today, let’s think about how we can help out and make a positive change, just like so many people did on that day. Together, we can make a big difference.” –Trey, Pattie Elementary School student

Watch a video from Prince William County Public Schools to learn more about the P.O.P. Club and their visit to George Mason.

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George Mason’s ROTC continues to provide a path for personal and professional growth

Colleen Rich — Thu, 16 May 2024 21:07:23 +0000

George Mason’s ROTC continues to provide a path for personal and professional growth Colleen Rich Thu, 05/16/2024 - 17:07

George Mason �鶹��’s Army ROTC Patriot Battalion is on the rise. From its humble beginnings more than 40 years ago in 1982 with little more than 20 students, the program now boasts nearly 150 cadets and continues to grow in recognition.

Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters transported 62 Mason ROTC cadets and two cadre to the Marine Corps Base Quantico for Mason ROTC’s spring Joint Field Training Exercise (JFTX), which it holds annually with ROTC students from Georgetown and Howard universities. Photo by Cristian Torres/George Mason �鶹��

The George Mason ROTC program was launched in 1982 as an extension of the Georgetown �鶹�� Army ROTC, before splitting off independently in 2002. Today, the Patriot Battalion hosts co-enrolled students from Marymount �鶹��, �鶹�� of Mary Washington, and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).

The number of first-year students making the choice to pursue a commission as an Army officer increased ninefold in the last five years, more than ever before. This year one of Patriot Battalion’s own—Mason Cadet Bryan Vega—was recognized as the premier ROTC Cadet in the nation.

Lt. Col. Matthew M. Kuhn, an active-duty officer and department chair, leads George Mason’s ROTC effort. “ROTC combines courses in military science with practical leadership training to prepare for success in college, as leaders in the Army, or in any profession of choice,” he said.

Students in the program receive classroom instruction and participate in a weekly leadership lab and early morning physical training activities.

First-year students and sophomores can participate in the first two years of Army ROTC without committing to serve in the Army. Students offered an ROTC scholarship then contract and incur a military obligation. There are also opportunities for juniors, seniors, and graduate students.

Students work on their Combat Water Survival Test at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of �鶹�� Branding

Students must contract by their junior year or first year of graduate school to continue with the advanced course program, obligating them to serve four years of active duty in the regular Army, or six to eight years in a unit of the Army National Guard or U.S. Army Reserves, depending upon whether they received an ROTC scholarship. Officers may then continue to serve the remainder of their obligation in their current component or transfer into the Reserve Components or the Individual Ready Reserve.

A quick scroll through Mason’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Instagram and Facebook accounts provides a visual of the wide range of Mason cadet activities—including an annual senior trip, physical training at the EagleBank Arena, the Patriot Battalion Military Ball, commissioning ceremonies, field training exercises, and the Patriot Games. What it does not reveal is what cadets consistently agree are the overarching benefits of the ROTC experience—the physical, psychological, and financial support provided through the corps.

“My unit is a second family to me,” said Matthew Rigdon, a Military Science 3 (MS3) junior.

“Some of the best memories you’ll make in ROTC are in the field with other cadets making the most of a challenging time—where you’re being stress-tested to see how you perform under pressure,” said Rigdon, who is from Stafford, Virginia. “My fellow cadets are friendly, encouraging, and determined to succeed even when put in tough situations, especially since the success of each cadet contributes to the overall success of the team.”

Mason ROTC Color Guard at Washington Spirit Soccer Game. Photo courtesy of ROTC

For Cadet Christopher Roman, an MS2 sophomore, college tuition assistance was paramount. “The financial aid is extremely helpful and was very important to me,” said Roman, who hails from Canton, Ohio. “Although my parents were going to pay for my degree, I felt a responsibility to help them.”

Sahar Khalid-Schieber, an MS4 Senior, who comes to George Mason from London, England, echoes Roman’s appreciation for financial support. The Army ROTC is the largest provider of post-secondary school scholarships in the United States and one of the nation’s foremost leadership development programs.

Khalid-Schieber explains that ROTC offered more than just discipline and a pathway to military service; it presented an opportunity to be part of an organization that goes beyond the individual. “ROTC is not just about me; it's about a collective sense of purpose, an interconnected web of responsibilities, and a shared mission,” Khalid-Schieber said. “In ROTC, I found an environment where I could channel my innate desire to give back, to serve not just a cause, but a country, a community, and a set of ideals.”

About a quarter of the cadets arrive at George Mason through NOVA, often through the ADVANCE Program, which provides a seamless pathway for community college students to earn a four-year degree. It was that route that brought MS4 Raymond Bonniwell to Mason. Bonniwell, a dual major in anthropology and Russian studies who emigrated from South Africa, noted the advantage of the monthly stipend, the ability to get a security clearance, and the chance to serve his adopted country as key motivations for joining ROTC.

Roman, who plans to pursue a career in law enforcement, also touts the professional support found through the program. “The experience that ROTC provides, especially for me, is perfect. My cohorts are motivated leaders that continuously strive to make each other better.”

“My favorite memory in ROTC is from the Spring 2023 Field Training Exercise where I was fortunate enough to ride in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter down to Marine Corps Base Quantico,” said Rigdon, who studies operations and supply chain management and hopes to be an active-duty quartermaster officer after graduating and commissioning into the U.S. Army. “This experience was one of the coolest things I have ever done.”

Did You Know...

The top ROTC Cadet in the nation is Bryan Vega, a George Mason graduate student working on a master’s in data analytics engineering. Learn more about him.

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Mason research takes a SMART approach to tactical athlete fitness

Sarah Holland — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:31:59 +0000

Mason research takes a SMART approach to tactical athlete fitness Sarah Holland Tue, 04/09/2024 - 16:31

From dietitians to personal trainers, it takes a team of experts and specialists to keep professional athletes strong and healthy throughout their careers. But Joel Martin, associate professor of kinesiology in George Mason �鶹��’s College of Education and Human Development, thinks there’s one group of athletes missing that same level of support: tactical athletes.

Joel Martin, right, tests ROTC cadet grip strength. Photo provided.

“Tactical athletes are those in professions where physical fitness is a critical component, but who aren’t sport athletes,” Martin explained. This includes military, law enforcement, and first responders. Through the Fit2Serve program, Martin hopes to give tactical athletes the support and resources they’re missing.

Fit2Serve began through an Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) summer impact grant. Martin works with student researchers in Mason’s Sports Medicine Assessment Research and Testing (SMART) Lab on the SciTech Campus to provide fitness testing and wellness resources for tactical athletes and looks for solutions for their specific challenges.

“I think a lot of us know someone involved in military or emergency response,” Martin said, “and we don’t always appreciate the challenges those professions experience, both day-to-day and long term.”

Fitness, Martin said, is more than exercise—sleep, diet, mental wellness, and everyday physical activity all play a role. By improving overall fitness, Martin hopes to improve tactical athletes’ ability to complete occupational tasks and their health and longevity, as well as prevent injuries. For firefighters especially, there is a critical need for better resources, education, and research in these areas.

“Post-retirement mortality rates for firefighters are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population, due to the high physical demands of their jobs, high potential for injury, and consequences of poor sleep and wellness while on active duty,” Martin said. “We want to improve that statistic.”

His research team uses tools such as sleep surveys and real-time fitness monitoring during training exercises to make holistic recommendations for first responder wellness strategies.

“It’s useful for them to understand the physical demands of what they’re doing in order to make more informed decisions that will hopefully prevent extreme fatigue and injury in the long run,” Martin explained.

Their work is already making an impact. After a controlled burn training with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, for example—where Martin and his team examined the extreme physical load placed on the individuals setting up the burn using wearable biosensors—they were able to provide objective data to support a command decision by the fire department to reduce the length of the training from full days to half days. Martin hopes that an upcoming load monitoring study will lead to firefighter schedule adjustments to prevent extended sleep deprivation; many work 24-hour shifts, which leads to disrupted sleep cycles and degraded fitness. This study will be the dissertation for PhD student Mike Toczko.

Another arm of Martin’s work is closer to home—right on the Fairfax Campus, in fact: Mason’s Army ROTC program. He credits current PhD student Megan Sax van der Weyden for rebuilding the bridge between the SMART Lab and ROTC through their incorporation into the Fit2Serve program.

Sax van der Weyden applied for Mason’s PhD in Education with a specialization in kinesiology because of the department’s established research with tactical athletes. As both a former student-athlete and ROTC cadet, she hopes to reduce the disparities between the available resources for these groups.
“[As a student-athlete] I had dietitians, sports doctors, mental health counselors, and specialists creating our fitness plans and giving us pre- and post-workout routines,” she said. “For ROTC, you only had the upper-level cadets giving out whatever advice they had gotten from their upper-level cadets.” More formal education backed by research would help to prolong cadets’ military careers and reduce risk of injury, she said.

Megan Sax van der Weyden, seated on the bleachers, measures ROTC cadets' jump ability. Photo provided.

After graduating, Sax van der Weyden will serve in the Army, where she hopes to put this experience to use.

“It’s been a really good learning experience figuring out how to work with large groups of research subjects and even larger data sets. And it’s good practice for distilling complicated theories and information into digestible components for an uninformed audience,” said Sax van der Weyden.

Along with providing fitness testing and health surveys for the battalion each semester, Sax van der Weyden delivers presentations on the importance of diet, fitness, and sleep, and is currently working on an online learning database for tactical athletes that she hopes will last long beyond her time at Mason.

Martin said many students find the Fit2Serve program provides them with a new outlook on how they can make an impact.

“I see a lot of students come into the kinesiology program thinking they want to do sports medicine, and then transition to tactical athlete research after working with emergency responders,” Martin said.

“It makes me smile watching them learn that they can make a difference in this field.”

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“Always Ready, Always There”: Mason graduate student named the top ROTC Cadet in the nation

Sarah Holland — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 14:36:12 +0000

“Always Ready, Always There”: Mason graduate student named the top ROTC Cadet in the nation Sarah Holland Wed, 02/14/2024 - 09:36

Bryan Vega never expected that, at 33 years old, he would be named the number one Army ROTC Cadet in the country.

But if Vega, a graduate student in George Mason �鶹��’s College of Engineering and Computing working toward his master’s in data analytics engineering, has learned anything from his lengthy career, it’s that he can never count himself out.

Photo provided.

Vega’s path starts with a dream: to become an Army officer. He enlisted in the Army National Guard almost 15 years ago and pursued his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State �鶹�� while enrolled in their ROTC program. Degree planning is an important component of being commissioned as an officer upon graduation; switching majors made it difficult for Vega to meet the required standards within the few months prior to graduating.

After earning his undergraduate degree, he continued his work with the Army National Guard, first with Florida (FLARNG) and then with Virginia (VAARNG). “It was all about timing,” Vega said of the wait to become an officer. “Everything happens for a reason, so I was just waiting for the right opportunity to take that next step toward being commissioned as an officer.”

In 2018, Vega was accepted into the newly formed 91st Cyber Brigade, the Army National Guard’s first, and only, cyber brigade. “I had developed an interest in the coding, data science, and artificial intelligence side of things during my work in military intelligence with the Army National Guard and in my civilian career developing and integrating artificial intelligence/machine learning and cyber solutions to both public and private sector,” he said. “The Cyber Brigade felt like the right move.”

It was. The connections he made in the 91st encouraged him to pursue commissioning through ROTC, for which he was still eligible. “I decided to knock two things out at once: officer status and a master’s degree. Mason had both a good ROTC program and a strong artificial intelligence and machine-learning education pipeline.”

So how does one become the number one ROTC cadet in the nation? Through the Order of Merit List (OML), which ranks every cadet via a points system. Throughout the year, Army ROTC Cadets earn points in different categories for various activities and accomplishments. These categories—such as physical fitness, GPA, athletics, extracurriculars, and employment status—have varying weights and point values within those categories. For example, extracurricular involvement overall is not weighted as heavily as GPA and STEM academic alignment (also known as degree pathway), so leading multiple clubs won’t necessarily balance out a low GPA.

At the end of the Army fiscal year, the points are tabulated, and every ROTC cadet across the nation is ranked based on their overall accessions point value, creating the OML. OML rank is more than just an achievement: higher ranking cadets on the OML will have a higher chance of receiving their first pick of branch preference upon commissioning.

“I was surprised. Shocked, honestly,” Vega said, of the announcement that he ranked number one. “I’m not as fit as my younger members; I didn't think I had a chance. It just goes to show what you can accomplish with the right support."

That refrain of support was critical to Vega’s success: not only the support he received, but the support he was able to provide.

Mason’s ROTC program, Vega said, has supported him and his commitments to full-time employment with his civilian career as Lead Data Scientist (AI/ML), part-time with the National Guard, his growing family, and his rigorous graduate studies. As a university renowned for providing veterans with quality education, Mason’s support of post-traditional students in ROTC is yet another testament to the university’s commitment to inclusive and accessible education and career opportunities.

“Having been in ROTC at another institution, I can say that Mason ROTC’s flexibility and adaptability is incredible. And my advisor in CEC has worked hard to find classes for me that will make sure I complete the degree on time while being able to work full-time and fulfill all my duties as a cadet, a husband, a father, and a member of the VAARNG.”

And for Vega, he paid that support forward through his own informal mentoring of the other cadets. “Being further along in life, I had a lot I could teach them. And the commissioned and noncommissioned officers in our program encouraged that transfer of knowledge. It helped all of us, me learning from them and them learning from me.”

Vega looks forward to walking across the stage at Spring Commencement 2024 with his peers, with a plan to finish his degree over the summer. His future, hopefully as a soon-to-be commissioned officer, is bright.

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EIP graduate made the most of his time at Mason

Colleen Rich — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:55:28 +0000

EIP graduate made the most of his time at Mason Colleen Rich Wed, 06/07/2023 - 16:55

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Mason ROTC students get a lift to Quantico training

Colleen Rich — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 12:36:58 +0000

Mason ROTC students get a lift to Quantico training Colleen Rich Tue, 04/11/2023 - 08:36

Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

On Thursday, March 30, two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters could be spotted landing near the athletic fields on the George Mason �鶹��’s Fairfax Campus. The helicopters were transporting 62 Mason ROTC cadets and two cadre to the Marine Corps Base Quantico for Mason ROTC’s spring Joint Field Training Exercise (JFTX), which it holds annually with ROTC students from Georgetown and Howard universities.

Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

A number of cadets and cadre had travelled to Quantico early to set up the landing zone and prepare for training. During the exercise, ROTC cadets spend four days outdoors at Quantico conducting day and night land navigation, practicing marksmanship, radio and machine gun training, and force-on-force training involving small unit tactics.

Additionally, the Mason first-year and sophomore cadets were able to conduct UH-60 helicopter flights on Friday that were flown by the Virginia Army National Guard.

Overall, 117 Mason ROTC cadets participated in the training this year. Student leaders—Cadet Battalion Commander Yanaira Velasques, Cadet Operations Officer Anthony Peyton, Cadet Executive Officer Charles Scott, and Cadet Personnel Officer Ethan Zimmerman—were instrumental in planning the training.

Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

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Retro Mason: Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps 1982

Colleen Rich — Tue, 24 May 2022 17:07:41 +0000

Retro Mason: Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps 1982 Colleen Rich Tue, 05/24/2022 - 13:07

George Mason �鶹��’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), known as “The Patriot Battalion,” began in 1982 and frequently conducts training with other universities throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Here, ROTC cadets raise their hands inside a classroom during the 1980s.

Photo credit: George Mason �鶹�� Broadside Photograph Collection from the �鶹�� Libraries’ Special Collection Research Center.

This image is part of the 50th Anniversary exhibit, Past, Present, Future: Mason’s Core Remains Constant, which showcases photos captured by student photographers working for Broadside, Mason's student newspaper from 1969 to 2014. On the lower level of Horizon Hall, the exhibit runs through December 2022.

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Mason ROTC cadets complete simulated military operation using helicopters

John Hollis — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 17:37:48 +0000

Mason ROTC cadets complete simulated military operation using helicopters John Hollis Mon, 04/19/2021 - 13:37

George Mason �鶹�� ROTC cadets board a U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter as part of a simulated mission that took place aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. Photo by John Hollis

Several American soldiers had been captured and were being held prisoner under the watchful eye of a high-value enemy target at a secure location deep within the heavy woods at Marine Corps Base Quantico.

It was up to the more than 40 junior ROTC cadets from George Mason �鶹��’s Patriot Battalion to quietly move into position before assaulting the compound, securing the release of their fellow service members and neutralizing the high-value target. Boarding the two U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters that landed on West Campus on Thursday, April 15, to ferry them to the exercise, the cadets executed a fully simulated military operation.

Lt. Col. Michael Nelson, a professor of military science and the senior ranking member of the attachment, played the role of the high-value target overseeing the captured American soldiers.

The day marked a fitting end to what has been a busy close to the year for Mason’s Patriot Battalion, which also includes cadets from Northern Virginia Community College, the �鶹�� of Mary Washington and Marymount �鶹��. The helicopter ride was the first for most of the cadets.

“We get to do the fun stuff at the end of the year,” said Cadet Connor Swann, a junior government and international politics major from Galena, Ohio. “We’re taking everything we’ve learned so far and applying it now.”

Sarah Rodriguez, a junior government and international politics major from Queens, New York, hopes to fly after graduating and receiving her commission into the U.S. Army, so she was eagerly awaiting the helicopter ride ever since she learned about it six weeks ago.

“I’ve been counting down the days,” she said.

The exercise was the most recent one taking the cadets out into the field. Last month, they joined cadets from Georgetown �鶹�� and Howard �鶹�� for a few days of training at Quantico.

Most of the Mason cadets will spend the bulk of their summer doing additional training, including the U.S. Army’s ROTC Advanced Camp at Fort Knox in Tennessee, a five-week event designed to assess each cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. It is the most significant training and evaluation event in ROTC.

“I’ve always wanted to fly and fly in the military,” Rodriguez said.