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Show represented to be is a good question. ROTC candidates, when interviewed, often give out liberal, unbiased remarks on the state of the world- the same ones. Like the uniform, a certain set of attitudes seems to come with the job. Whether or not these attitudes are put into practice is largely up to the commanding officer. Dedication and a group spirit play a very large part in ROTC activities. The drill team, for instance, puts in a lot of extra time practicing and attending meets. Our boys in berets, the counterguerilla unit, put in lots of time exercising and skulking through the surrounding countryside. Naval officer candidates carry a heavy course load; Air Force a technical one. Marines learn to grit their teeth the hard way during summer training sessions. Generally, ROTC can't be considered an easy way out of anytning; and the work is hard. Like the uniform, a certain set of values seems to come with the job Because killing is a result of military endeavor, one expects to find this an important concern to officers, the military machine's administrators. A talk with most ROTC candidates will convince you otherwise. They don't think about it, and don't deal with the consequences of destroying other human beings^. Death is an incidental feature in accomplishing certain ends; and many cadets display a chilling love of sophisticated weaponry that disregards the havoc wreaked by the use of that weapon. Most cadets have a callous nature regarding the consequences of their actions. "I'm only following orders, "says one. So we have the military man on one hand, dedicated to certain sets of principles, consecrated to duty as handed down by decree, ambitious, hard-working, usually a nice guy who seems to have a blind spot. On the other side of the blind spot, we have the idealist and pacifist who often refuses to see a practical side to organized power. In between we have people who are puzzled, and a few people who die. O o Student/soldier Soldier/student Left: Cadet checks his weapon before drill. Far Left: Within this delapidated structure lie more dilapidated structures. Above Left: Cadet lounge offers Army Rote students a break from military discipline. Above: Former adornment of the bridge of the U.S.S. Utah now rests in front of Naval Science Building. 253 |