FeaturedApril 12, 2024

Lion Company Leads the Way

While the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith ROTC, the Lion Company, might not be the largest organization on campus, it feeds directly to one of the largest institutions in the country, the U.S. military.

The ROTC program began nearly two decades ago at UAFS. Since the commission of its first officer in 2008, Jonas Fricks, Lion Company continues to help cadets graduate from UAFS as commissioned officers in the Army, Army Reserves, or National Guard.

Since the inception of UAFS ROTC, the mission has been in line with that of the U.S. Military: “To deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt, and sustained land dominance as part of the joint force of all U.S. Military.”

Assistant professor of military science, Army Capt. Christian Bradley began his post with UAFS ROTC in October 2023 and has already witnessed cadets living up to the mission set forth by the military.

“Our cadets have chosen to serve their country as a leader,” he said. “Each day, they are striving for excellence and growing intelligently, emotionally, physically, and spiritually to be an integral piece of the unified landscape of operations our nation currently faces.”

The decision to protect and serve the nation isn’t taken lightly. The students of Lion Company know what is expected of them after graduation and leave prepared to do so. Cadets train and participate in real-world drills while continuing their education.

“The goal is for them to be able to be a student full time and also be part of the Army organization full time,” Bradley explained. “On the leadership side, they come out of the program with a bachelor’s degree, some may go on to get a master’s degree, and then they will be commissioned officers within the Army.”

Bradley said cadets will leave the program to go into aviation, flying helicopters, some to artillery to shoot cannons, and others will go to the infantry.

“I want cadets in this program to gain confidence in themselves and their craft. Experiences will come in due time, which will grow their knowledge,” Bradley said. “Cadets should leave this program with the utmost confidence in themselves to become leaders whom soldiers trust.”

There are multiple ways for cadets to become part of the program, noted Bradley. There are scholarship opportunities for high school seniors, but an interested UAFS student can also join as a first- or second-year student.

“There’s no service obligation,” Bradley said of the first two years cadets are in the UAFS ROTC. “By their junior year, it’s a decision point. … that’s when the Army decides they’re ready to invest.”

Cadets have the option to stay or continue during their junior year. Over the last year and a half, Lion Company has seen the program more than double from nine cadets to 25, showing a genuine interest in what the program offers and what is afforded to those who stay.

“Our job at UAFS ROTC is to recruit, produce, and commission those leaders,” Bradley said.

Bradley will call UAFS home for the next two to three years and plans to keep the growth going. He said he expects the program to grow by nearly 200% by the end of his term, averaging close to 50 students each year.

By expanding the footprint of UAFS ROTC, he is encouraged with the possibility of upgrading the Old Gym, where the program is housed, to have more dedicated space for classes and training.

Victor Steffen, a junior biomedical student and ROTC cadet, has already decided to continue with Lion Company during his senior year because ROTC has “opened the door for a career in medical aviation.”

“ROTC has been a fantastic program that has allowed me to hone my leadership skills, preparing me to be an effective officer in the future,” Victor stated. “Joining ROTC was one of the best decisions I have made since I began pursuing my bachelor’s.

“I joined because I wanted to better myself and others around me. Choosing to become a leader was a decision I thought about in-depth and one that has allowed me the opportunity to network with other military figures and politicians.”

For Victor and other ROTC cadets, leadership goes beyond lessons learned in the classroom. Leadership also comes in the form of what you do for your community.

Since joining Lion Company, Victor has helped build and operate the inaugural “Endurance: The Obstacle Course” event, challenging teams of three to 16 unique obstacles and a 40-meter run to test competitors' endurance.

But events like this aren’t the only ones involving ROTC cadets.

Every September 11, cadets join first responders for a memorial stair climb in the Stubblefield Center. Cadets also help plant American Flags around the campus green for Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day.

Around the community, Bradley said the program is actively involved in running and weightlifting clubs and participates in charity events for both activities as well.

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