October 2013

EDITORS COMMENTS Welcome back!

I hope everyone is enjoying ROTC so far and is ready for all the exciting events that have happened and are going to happen.

This addition of the Soaring Warrior is going to go over what Detachment 205has done this past month and some special events we as a detachment took part in.

Lets have a great semester and year Detachment 205!

Cadet Allen

CADET KRON’S NEWSTime flies when Det. 205 is having fun, we have been in school for over month already! I know the entire Detachment has been hard at work, everyone from the brand new 100 cadets to the cadre. Keep up the hard work this month; it will pay off in the end.

Some tips for everyone, stay on top of your studies. We are coming close to fall break but that does not mean start your break early. SEMO cadets have their midterms coming up on 14 Oct., so be sure you are preparing for those well in advance. 200 and 300 cadets who need to take the AFOQT the date of the test is 2 Dec. Mark your calendars, this test is very important to your Air Force career, start studying now. You can find practice exams and tips online or you can go to Borders bookstore and they have study books available for purchase. It’s almost PFA time, SEMO’s PFA is on 15 Oct. and SIU’s 16 Oct. Continue to prepare for this, your PFA score is used in many different ways throughout AFROTC lets make this Det. 205’s best average PFA score, so everyone push yourselves. If anyone is having issues passing any part of the PFA please contact me so I can help you get better or if anyone needs helping improving a certain area I can help you with that also. Some fun things Det. 205 has planned in the future are the GMC vs. POC football game which is 6 Oct. at 1100 at the Saluki Stadium, and Dining out which is scheduled for 23 Nov.

As always stay safe and if you find yourself in a sticky situation do not hesitate to contact me. Keep up the hard work Det. 205.

Lead LabBy Cadet Kelley

Almost every Monday we come together for an

event called Lead Lab. Some of us have been to

Lead Lab for years, while others may have only

been to a couple. Although we go to this weekly

event, do we really know what Lead Lab is for?

Why do we put so much effort into it? I think that

sometimes we need to take a step back and look at

it in a different perspective to truly understand

why.

On the most basic level, Lead Lab, or LLAB is

designed to give the experience and leadership to

potential officer candidates looking to commission

into the United States Air Force. With that in mind,

how could LLAB benefit such a wide range of

cadets? The experience levels of Senior would be

much higher than that of an incoming freshman

new to the program. Lead Lab is designed to

progress your skills the longer you’re in the

program. As a new 100 level student, you go to

Lead Lab to learn the basic concepts of how to

become a leader. Learning teamwork and

followership are the two main points of the 100

year. To become a good leader, one must first learn

how to follow. As a 200 level student, you’re

expected to apply what you learned your 100 year

and expand from there. You’re expected to

demonstrate followership, but sometimes you’ll

get the opportunity to test out your leadership

skills. The main goal of the 200 year is to hone your

skills in preparation for field training. In your 300

year, newly graduated from field training, you’re

given the opportunity to demonstrate your

leadership and management skills that are needed

to successfully function as an active duty officer.

Your 400 year you keep on honing your leadership

and management skills to transition from ROTC

into active duty.

Next time you go to Lead Lab, think about

why you’re there. Why do you want to be a part of

the United States Air Force? Don’t just show up

and take your seat, act with reason. Show why

you’re there and what you’re about.

~ 2 ~

Lead Lab

~ 3 ~

Lead Lab

~ 4 ~

A Run to RememberBy Cadet Hanenberger

It was way too hot to run a 5K. An hour before the race started, it was 95 degrees and about 95% humidity (at least it felt like it). Anyone who was outside at the event was soaked just standing around. Still, the whole detachment, as well as about 150 other runners, still showed up for the event on September 11th.

This event wasn’t just another 5K helping out some charity in the local area. This 5K, called the 9/11 Run to Remember, was in remembrance of all those who died on September 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the Pennsylvania Field. It was put on by the SIU Veterans Center. All proceeds from the race went to benefit two veteran groups in the U.S. The day not only included a 5K, but guest speakers and a 21-Gun Salute.

Because it took the place of our Wednesday PT, the whole detachment was there for the race. Some of us had signed up to run the race competitively; those that hadn’t ran as small groups. A few had the opportunity to help out the race staff during the run. The race started at Lew Hartzog Track underneath a giant American flag strung between two fire trucks. It was quite awe-inspiring seeing so many runners start their run underneath that flag. The race then took us through campus, behind Campus Lake, then back to where we started. A few veterans that ran the race decided to run with full ruck sacks, one ran with a gas mask, and one even ran without shoes. It was pretty cool seeing what they put themselves through in remembrance of those who died.

After everyone had returned from the course, the chancellor of SIU, Rita Cheng, was invited up on stage to say a few words. After she was done, she introduced an assistant fire chief from the Carbondale Fire Department who had traveled to New York City in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks. He talked about his time there attending funerals of fallen firefighters and the atmosphere of the city in the

attack’s wake. “We were treated like heroes there, even though we didn’t actually go into the towers” he said. After the speaker, awards were handed out to the top finishers in each group, with quite a few Detachment 205 cadets earning awards. The evening wrapped up with a 21-gun salute performed by Air Force and Army cadets.

Overall, even though it was quite toasty during the race, it will be a pretty memorable experience. Everything went very well for both the runners and the race organizers. The guest speaker for the event was a great speaker and his stories definitely made me take a closer look at what my future duties as an officer will entail. We all had a great time and highly look forward to the Run to Remember next year.

~ 5 ~

911 Run

911 Run

~ 6 ~

Contact Us~ 7 ~

Contact Information:Mailing Address:AFROTC DET 205Southern Illinois University Carbondale807 S. Normal AveCarbondale, IL 6290-6899Phone Number:618.453.2481

Cadet Chad Allen

Email: challen190@aol.com

Phone: 217.825.6082

~ 8 ~