PITTSBURG, KS.--- When the Blackhawk helicopters take off, Cadet Ethan Clouse won't be on board, he'll be waiting at their landing site outside of Pittsburg.
"Both sides have paint ball systems, and we conduct the opposing forces, OP4, and we lay and wait basically for them," states Ethan Clouse, Cadet.
He's been in their shoes. Cadets from the Pittsburg State University ROTC program trained with the U.S. ARMY UH 60 Blackhawk helicopters Thursday for a taste of life after school.
"That is the whole point of ROTC, to teach them leadership and critical thinking abilities, whether they wind up in the military serving in combat, or whether they wind up in wind up working in corporate America," states Christopher Lambert, Pittsburg State R.O.T.C.
Blackhawk Pilot Captain Joshua Urban says this will be an opportunity for the cadets to get a head start on the training they'll receive after school.
"Specifically for one that happens for all cadets who go to Fort Lewis between their junior and senior year. They spend 35 days up in the woods at Fort Lewis, and one of the training exercises they get to do involves helicopter operations," states Captain Joshua Urban, Blackhawk Pilot.
This mission is special to Urban for many reasons.
"Pitt State usually requests this mission once a year, and as long as I'm not deployed and I'm available, I try to make sure I can support it and get down here and be a part of it because it is my Alma Mater," states Captain Urban.
Instructors say there won't be any consequences if the "good guys" don't accomplish their mission.
"We did all of our lap running this morning when we did PT at 6 o'clock this morning," says Lambert. As long as they learn valuable lessons about leadership.
"The lessons learned, we'll apply them to the next time we train," says Lambert.
The Blackhawk helicopter is a bit of a workhorse for the Army, serving in combat roles, engineering and transportation capacities, and domestic disaster relief.
"Both sides have paint ball systems, and we conduct the opposing forces, OP4, and we lay and wait basically for them," states Ethan Clouse, Cadet.
He's been in their shoes. Cadets from the Pittsburg State University ROTC program trained with the U.S. ARMY UH 60 Blackhawk helicopters Thursday for a taste of life after school.
"That is the whole point of ROTC, to teach them leadership and critical thinking abilities, whether they wind up in the military serving in combat, or whether they wind up in wind up working in corporate America," states Christopher Lambert, Pittsburg State R.O.T.C.
Blackhawk Pilot Captain Joshua Urban says this will be an opportunity for the cadets to get a head start on the training they'll receive after school.
"Specifically for one that happens for all cadets who go to Fort Lewis between their junior and senior year. They spend 35 days up in the woods at Fort Lewis, and one of the training exercises they get to do involves helicopter operations," states Captain Joshua Urban, Blackhawk Pilot.
This mission is special to Urban for many reasons.
"Pitt State usually requests this mission once a year, and as long as I'm not deployed and I'm available, I try to make sure I can support it and get down here and be a part of it because it is my Alma Mater," states Captain Urban.
Instructors say there won't be any consequences if the "good guys" don't accomplish their mission.
"We did all of our lap running this morning when we did PT at 6 o'clock this morning," says Lambert. As long as they learn valuable lessons about leadership.
"The lessons learned, we'll apply them to the next time we train," says Lambert.
The Blackhawk helicopter is a bit of a workhorse for the Army, serving in combat roles, engineering and transportation capacities, and domestic disaster relief.
