CAMPUS AND AREA
University Daily Kansan, November 2, 1983
Page
War games turn students into soldiers
By JILL CASEY Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
PERRY - Autumn at Perry Lake, a brisk gray Saturday with leaves rustling quietly, seemed alien to the perimeter guard's harsh command.
"Hall. Advance and be recognized." Identified and allowed inside the perimeter, in accordance with standing operating permit, in bush patrol report no guerrilla sightings.
For the Army ROTC Recondo patrols conducting war maneuvers last weekend at the lake 18 miles northwest of Lawrence, the Marine Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Both sides were supplied for maneuvers with such sophisticated military equipment as PRC-77 radios, used for communication between patrols and for intercepting communication between the enemy's patrols. The radio signals were also used to light, were used to spot "guerilla"s at night and field telephones were also part of the equipment provided to the Army patrols.
The students, clad in camouflage fatigues and camo stick, a skin camouflage paint, created an atmosphere of authenticity around the maneuvers. From Friday night through Saturday afternoon they lived the lives of soldiers, eating C-rations and sleeping, some, in military-issue sleeping bags.
The Jayhawk shoulder patches on their field jackets, though, served as sole reminders that the soldiers were KU ROTC practicing war games, however sophisticated.
Because most of these students will serve in the military after graduation for at least three years, actual participation in combat is a possibility. The recent developments in Lebanon and Grenada, and the overall military presence advocated by the Reagan administration, have made career-oriented students more likely to work in Emporia sophomore in Army ROTC, "a little more serious, and a lot more fervent to go."
Eric Clemensen, a Marine ROTC senior from Wichita, said that he thought often of the sailor's long hours.
"But right here there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "I really wouldn't want to go, but I wouldn't hesitate if I was ordered to go into combat."
Mark Sumner, Marine ROTC and St.
Louis senior, agreed. "I joined knowing that it's a hazardous occupation. I think about it, but I trv not to lose sleep over it."
Michael Dugolopiski, Army ROTC and Lansing senior, said that the purpose of ROTT training is "not to make us efficient," he said. The University program, is to get a degree.
Recodo patrols spent most of their time guarding the perimeter and going out on reconnaissance and ambush patrols.
The Marine guerrilla forces employed a more aggressive strategy to attack the Army perimeter. The Marine assignment was simple: "harass."
The Army ROTC strategy for the weekend involves securing a perimeter on a hill near Dearborn.
One of the maneuvers conducted by the Marine ROTCs was a double envelopment, in which they attacked the Army perimeter from two sides.
"The Army was eating lunch and they didn't want to play, though." Sumner said.
Eating meals were the only times, save for a few hours of sleep, that ROTCs weren't bothered.
Maneuvers by both the Army and Marine ROTCs were carried out in compliance with standard military practices. Ferlemann, who led an Army Recondo patrol for many of the maneuvers, said the mock combat was a learning experience for his troops. The KU ROTC program is not set up with the kind of emphasis on maneuvers that would be common at a military school like West Point, he said. And because the KU program doesn't give students experience in maneuvers, he said, Recondo members decided to conduct field exercises for themselves.
"The most important thing we try to teach to younger cadets is how to lead people in a way that they can understand."
Mark Millerile. Lansing sophomore, said maneuvers provided experience in learning to "judge territory, and how to move with
respect to the environment."
Clemensen said that the Marine ROTC group wanted to give the freshmen and sophomores exposure to basic patrolling techniques, like using a shake battle veterans out of them," he said.
Millerlile, who has participated in several maneuvers, said that although last weekend's maneuvers were mediocre, something could be learned from any field experience. Many of the maneuvers were difficult to learn, said that sound and light discipline are important lessons in preventing the enemy from discovering the troops' positions.
Many of the Recondo members have seen more realistic maneuvers, sometimes where live rounds were fired, at basic infantry training during summer break. Ferelemann said.
Even in maneuvers without live fire, he said, the same lessons can be learned, although it's "not quite as macho to go pow, pow, pow."
Ferlemann said that during his stint in basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was almost hit during live fire M-16 maneuvers when he rioted the rocetted off of a log a few inches away.
In either case "keeping your head" is the most important lesson taught in any war mission.
"In the real world (combat), there is pain, death, and suffering." he said. "We're not pretending when it comes to combat, and we can't play John Wayne."
Mike Dlugopolski, Lansing senior, calls a patrol from the Army ROTC base camp to find out its position.
Story by
Jill Casey
Photographs by
Gary Smith
Allen Tiffany, Hays senior and commander of Army ROTC's Recondo,
samples G-rations at his camp perimeter. |
John White, Leavenworth junior, has a coat of camouflage paint applied to his face by John Houston. McPheron sophomore, in preparation for an ambush on Marine ROTC troops.
John White, Leavenworth sophomore, hurdles a muddy wash near Perry Lake on Saturday morning while following other members of his patrol in standard ranger file.
John Houston, McPherson junior, Sonja Ford, Jetmore junior, and John White, Leavenworth junior, react to an advance patrol returning from a scouting mission.