ROTC

     In my previous post, if you recall, I admitted to having a hobby of stalking cool people. Well, I have another confession to make...ROTC people are cool. Very cool. Every morning, I get up at a quarter after five, have my oatmeal and coffee, get ready, and take the 6:40am shuttle to the university. I arrive at 7:00am. No class until 8:00am. Luckily for me, the ROTC of all branches are already hard at work by the time I show up. Some days the Army perform marching drills on the mall, some days the Marines run by singing cadences, some days the Air Force do sit ups and push ups in front of Old Main, and some days the Navy jog laps in front of the Union. Whatever the PT plan for the day, I find a bench, sit down, and watch. Sometimes I even turn off my iPod to listen to the commands or enthusiastic battle cries. This morning's was rather interesting - an Air Force guy sprinted by, pumping his fist in the air and yelling "Spartaaaaa!!"
     Today, I actually had the privilege to be a part of their routine, however small. I was riding my bike to the Chemistry building and ended up on the same path as the Air Force ROTC, who were running their laps around the mall. I was going along at a fairly leisurely pace when I heard one of the guys behind me trying to pep up his group. "Come on, we've got this. Let's go, catch that bike!" Who, me? Yes, me. I kept going, waiting to see if they would overtake me. I felt like one of those little white rabbits that greyhounds chase on the track. They were having a hard go of it so I slowed down, just enough for them to catch up without noticing I'd done it. I like to think I made them feel accomplished.
     C.V. Wedgwood, a 17th century historian, claimed that "the behavior of individuals is more interesting than their behavior as groups..." Not always, intellectual dead guy, not always. I see the exception every morning. When they march, they move with nearly flawless synchrony. When they run, faster members sink back alongside those who struggle, offering them encouragement and confidence. Thursday morning, I stepped off the shuttle to see the Air Force ROTC out on Old Main's lawn. They were lying on their backs in a circle, knees bent and feet facing in. Their arms were all linked and they were doing sit ups, rising and falling together, pulling each other up. I just can't help but be enthralled. To see these incredible groups of people, many of whom have known each other barely two months, displaying such camaraderie is simply amazing.
     Determined to feel secure in my creeping, I contacted my older brother, Aaron, who is an Army ROTC cadet at Arizona State. I had to be sure I wasn't alone. Surely someone else enjoyed observing the occasional PT session? Come to find out, they don't. Aaron tells me he's caught a few looking, but they don't hang - just "slow their roll" as they walk by. Drat. I was really hoping for a "Yeah, sis, the troop's already got collective restraining orders on a couple of these chicks." No such luck.