Students prepare to join U.S. Army

In many ways, Melissa McClenning, Charles Kim, James Lee and
Angela Yoon are just regular students – attending classes, worrying
about midterms and papers.

But unlike their peers, many of whom will later seek jobs or
pursue professional degrees, these five will be officers in the
United States Army when they graduate from UCLA.

As the possibility of war with Iraq looms over the country,
students in the Bruin Battalion of the Army Reserve Officer
Training Corps program find that now, more than ever, they must
dispel stereotypes and myths about the program, the military and
themselves.

“We’re not machines trained to kill. We’re
just students. We have fears like anyone else,” said Angela
Yoon, a fourth-year political science student in her fourth year as
a cadet in the program.

The army ROTC program is a training ground for students who will
be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army upon
completing the program and graduating from UCLA.

Depending on where they choose to work, they will be leaders in
one of three areas: combat arms, combat support and combat service
support.

The combat arms sector works with soldiers on the front lines of
battle, while combat support fosters intelligence strategy for the
battlefield.

Combat service support manages supply, maintenance and
transportation of equipment and necessities to soldiers on the
front-line.

Unlike those who enlist to serve in the army or army reserves,
contracted students in the program are not subject to deployment.
Only those who are concurrently enlisted with the National Guard or
Reserves could possibly be sent to do military action in Iraq.

One of the misconceptions that those in the program feel
civilian outsiders often harbor is that those serving in the
military are responsible for whether the country goes to war.

“Whether we go to war with Iraq is not determined by the
military,” said Major Michael Berry, vice chair of the
military science department, executive officer, recruiting officer
and an instructor of the ROTC program.

“The people who decide don’t wear uniforms.
They’re elected officials.”

Yoon agrees, adding that people should not blame the military
for following orders.

“The military is like a tool. We’re there and ready
to be used when needed,” Yoon said.

Charles Kim, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics student and fourth-year army ROTC cadet, adds
that he thinks government officials should pursue other
alternatives before deciding to go to war.

“If we are going to be used in Iraq, it’s only
because diplomacy failed,” he said.

Despite some controversy about civilian policy makers declaring
wars fought by the military, students in the program feel the two
sides share the same interests.

“We trust our leaders, and they trust us. The trust goes
both ways. The decisions come from educated people who think and
plan,” said James Lee, a fourth-year religious studies
student in his second year of the program.

Lee previously served in the army reserve for four years without
deployment.

Having a system where policy makers make the decision to go to
war is what makes the country unique, Berry said.

Both policy makers and the military are experts in their own
departments, whether they are making the choices about going to war
or carrying out the policies, he added.

Yet what distinguishes those in the army ROTC program from other
students is an early commitment to serve the country.

“We’re all here because we want to be here. We all
want to protect the country,” said Melissa McClenning, a
second-year history student who joined the program a few weeks
ago.

“We’re the last people that want to get sent out.
Nobody wants to leave their loved ones behind. But if there’s
a threat, we are ready to serve our country.”

Those in the program also do not have insider information or
specialized opinions on whether war is likely or imminent.

“Just because we’re associated with the army
doesn’t mean we’re really for the army or for President
Bush. Just because we’re in ROTC doesn’t mean we
can’t have our own opinions,” Yoon said.

Students in the program are no different from students not in
the program in terms of their varying opinions on the war.

“We’re just UCLA students, and ROTC is an
extracurricular activity. If you asked the average UCLA student
that question, you would get the same response,” Kim
said.