鈥淏e All You Can Be鈥� is one of the Army鈥檚 best- known slogans. In 91猎奇鈥檚 Army ROTC program, known as Palmetto Battalion, cadets participating in the Cadet Advanced Individual Training, or CAIT, program take the idea a step further.
The CAIT program gives highly qualified and motivated cadets an opportunity to attend some of the Army鈥檚 specialty schools during the
summer. The college鈥檚 Army ROTC program has had a high number of cadets accepted into these specialized courses.
Cadet Alexis Van Brocklin, 鈥�26, served as CAIT company commander during her senior year. She spoke with every cadet interested in the program, planned training sessions and worked to secure Army school slots for them.
Van Brocklin knew these schools firsthand. She attended Cadet Troop Leader Training in Germany, an experience that confirmed her path as an infantry officer, and SERE training, which stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape.
鈥淚 have around 50 to 55 cadets that I get to send off to summer training. They are putting in the time鈥攚e do physical training together three times a week. It is tough,鈥� said Van Brocklin. 鈥淪uccess isn鈥檛 even getting a school. It鈥檚 you versus you. Are you better than you were yesterday?鈥�
For Cadet Colin White, that question found its answer in the woods of North Carolina.
White participated in Robin Sage, the culminating exercise of the Army鈥檚 Special Forces Qualification Course. He role-played as a guerrilla fighter alongside Special Forces candidates who were just days away from earning their Green Berets. For two weeks, he slept in the woods and carried out simulated, unconventional warfare missions throughout rural North Carolina.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get that experience anywhere else,鈥� said White. 鈥淓ven the people I did the program with鈥� other cadets from other colleges鈥擨 still keep in touch with them.鈥�
White also pointed to the confidence cadets can gain through CAIT. At Robin Sage, he volunteered to present sections of briefings, giving him the opportunity to speak to retired and future Special Forces soldiers as well as his peers.