They stand in two perfect rows. With the moon as their main light source, they begin counting in unison, moving forward with each number they call out. It’s 6 a.m., and lined up on the Syracuse University Quad are 25 students ready to start their physical training session in preparation for their future in the U.S. military.

And they’re off. One by one, they begin their 30-minute morning run. Their path leads them off the Quad and onto the streets of Syracuse. They make their way to Comstock Avenue and run a mile to East Colvin Street until they reach Lancaster Avenue. They continue to move and climb up to the water towers off Ostrom Avenue before they proceed back to campus. Each footstep they take pounds the pavement with the intense passion and persistence that keeps these students motivated each day.

As they regroup, their focus is clear. These are not ordinary students. They make up SU’s Army Reserve Officers Training Corps battalion, a leadership program designed to give students the skills needed to become commissioned as future military officers. The death toll of American soldiers in Iraq surpassed 2,000 in October, and while SU’s ROTC cadets can expect to be deployed after graduation, they are not letting it stop them from becoming the military’s next generation of leaders.

‘I’m excited and nervous at the same time,’ Michael Chappell said.

The senior majoring in forest resource management at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and ROTC member has mixed feelings about possibly being deployed.

‘I’m excited because it’ll be a new place to go,’ he said. ‘I’m also nervous. Granted, I have been practicing and leading for four years, but once I get out there, it’s the real deal.’

Chappell is one of 76 students enrolled in SU’s ROTC to become commissioned as a second lieutenant. The cadets commissioned nationally have steadily exceeded the Army’s request for 3,900 officers during the last two years from 3,950 commissioned in 2003 to 4,408 in 2004, according to Paul Kotakis, Army ROTC spokesman from Cadet Command at Fort Monroe, Va. The final number of officers commissioned for 2005 is 4,178.

Although there is an increase in those who complete ROTC, those actually enrolling in the program has decreased by 7 percent nationwide from 28,729 in the 2003-2004 school year to 26,575 for 2004-2005, according to ROTC figures provided by Kotakis.

But the fears of deployment didn’t discourage Chappell from continuing with the program.

Instead, he is one of the more involved cadets in the program, with his days packed with various academic and ROTC activities. On Thursdays, his day starts at 5:50 a.m. as he leaves his house to participate in the program’s 6 a.m. physical training time. After training, Chappell has little time to rest – he has to get ready for his 8 a.m. class, followed by the ROTC’s own class and leadership lab that take up the rest of his day.

‘You have to hand it to the students; it’s really a double, triple major,’ said Lt. Col. Phil Smith, the director of SU’s Army ROTC and professor of military science. ‘(It’s) 10 to 20 hours of ROTC on top of academics.’

The program is made of two parts. Any student can enroll without obligation in the basic course, which students complete in their freshman and sophomore years. Those who are given a full-tuition scholarship and also participate in the advanced course are required to serve the Army in either active duty for two to six years or the Army Reserves for one to six years.

‘I would say easily 90 percent (of ROTC students) will go to Iraq,’ said David Robins, the program’s cadet battalion commander and a senior international relations major.

With the War in Iraq as one concern, there has been a drop in the number of enrolled students in certain levels of the SU program. The junior level, which usually consists of 23 cadets, has only 16 students enrolled this year, he said.

‘There was a slight drop in the last two years. The junior and sophomore years (were) most affected by the war,’ Smith said of the drop in enrollment, which saw a decrease after the war began in 2003.

Cadets statistically can expect to be in Iraq or Afghanistan two to three years after graduation, Smith said.

‘I prepare our cadets to expect that likely within three years they would deploy,’ he said.

‘Of course, this all depends on the situation in Iraq. We obviously do not know if we still will be deployed there when our current students graduate.’

And as commissioned officers, ROTC graduates can be expected to be in charge of a group of soldiers during combat, Chappell said.

‘I’ll have 45 soldiers, and I’ll hold their lives in my hand,’ Chappell said.

But rather than fearing the worst, some students involved in ROTC find the program to be an opportunity to contribute to the fight against terrorism.

‘There’s a war in Iraq going on. It’s real and it’s there,’ Robins said. ‘I’m afraid if I didn’t go (to combat), someone less qualified would have to fulfill my responsibility.’

As the cadet battalion commander, Robins oversees the rest of the Army ROTC cadets, which has given him the tools needed to lead soldiers as a commissioned officer, he said.

‘It’s great exposure,’ he said. ‘I appreciate the opportunity. I’m (already) exposed to what it’s like dealing with people.’

The leadership skills cadets obtain, Smith said, creates a visible positive change in students as they complete the program.

‘I see them mature, more disciplined and (can) organize and plan things,’ he said. ‘It seems to be that by the time they’re a senior entering the military, they’re going to lead very well.’

After going through the program, National Guard 2nd Lt. Matt Zeller, who recently graduated from Hamilton College as an undergraduate, one of SU’s ROTC partnership schools, said he may possibly be deployed to Iraq. But he remains focused on why he joined ROTC in the first place.

‘I could go to combat if I was ordered. War is a horrible thing, but it’s got to be done,’ said Zeller, a graduate student in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. ‘(ROTC) has given me the foundation needed for a successful life. I couldn’t be comfortable knowing I received something from my country and not give anything back.’

Current ROTC cadets are not alone in believing the program is beneficial in providing the groundwork for success.

Marine Corps. Lance Cpl. Anibal Delgado, Jr., who is currently deployed in Camp Fallujah, Iraq and also trained in the Air Force Junior ROTC program in high school, said he does not regret his experience in the program, where he learned many skills, which attribute to his current work.

‘It did help me a lot,’ Delgado said in an online interview. ‘It was a great experience being in ROTC.’

And although current SU students are also likely to go off to combat, ROTC members, such as Zeller, will continue to get up each day to serve their country.

‘I wake up every morning and turn on the TV to see if anything bad happens,’ he said. ‘I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was (scared). I’m human. But I cannot let my personal fears stop me.’

Published on November 28, 2005 at 12:00 pm