Gallery: UCLA’s Army ROTC cadets participate in spring training exercise
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 26, 2017 3:28 p.m.
(From left to right) Third-year geography student Graydon White, third-year environmental engineering student Justin Wynne and third-year CSUN communications student Clavacia Smith chat and snack while waiting for their turn at the Camp Pendleton shooting range.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
The third- and fourth-year cadets practice shooting with live ammunition in preparation for the third-years' evaluations during the summer. Captains stand close by to correct technique and help fix jammed rifles.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Ethan Liu, a third-year neuroscience student (left), and Raffi Gevorgyan, a third-year political science student (right), mark their targets and discuss how to correct their breathing and posture to improve their accuracy.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Platoon leader Jeremy Jones, a third-year CSUN criminal justice student, discusses the logistics of the mission with his radiotelephone operator Jonathan Hagman (left), a third-year political science student, and platoon sergeant Anna Espenilla (right), a third-year linguistics and Spanish student.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Third-year chemistry student Ainara Manlutac is designated as second squad leader and awaits instruction from the platoon leader, which she later relays to her squad.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Jefferson Hackney, a second-year political science student, treks through the tall weeds carrying around 90 pounds, consisting of a sleeping system, extra clothing, water, kevlar helmet, rifle and more.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Rudy Hernandez, a first-year CSUN criminal justice student, and the first platoon take a water break from the blazing heat and rest among the flowers.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Platoon leader Brandon Hilleary (middle), a third-year political science student, explains the mission's route with a rough model. Third-year Loyola Marymount political science student Robert Fretz (left), and third-year CSUN history student Sean Andrews (right) look on and chime in with questions and suggestions.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
(From left to right) Second-year CSUN cinema of television arts student Austin Burnley, second-year Pepperdine political science student Cristobal Anzo Andrade and first-year UCLA international development studies student Dennis Bromley find a rare spot of shade and lean back against their assault packs as they relax.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Andrew Aldaz (left), a first-year political science student, stands guard as Grayson Makris, a second-year geography student, inspects the enemy prisoner of war Florin Oprea for valuable intelligence and extra ammunition. Oprea, a first-year Cal Poly Pomona aerospace engineering student, is in Air Force ROTC and has volunteered to act as the opposition in the cadets' missions.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
After the mission, the platoon discusses the successes and areas for improvement in the after-action review. They take off the top layer of their army combat uniform and make sure their battle buddies drink more than enough water to prevent being heat casualties.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Second-year applied linguistics student Hannah Holden carefully walks down to the riverbank. The platoon winds up and down the hills so that their attack can be stealthy.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Third-year political science student Annie Guilyard, one of the smaller cadets in ROTC, presses the squad automatic weapon's trigger and feels it kick in succession.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Mustafa Hafezzada (left), a third-year economics student, and Makris (right) lead the platoon back to the patrol base after a tiring mission. The route to the opposition forces had wound through and around hills to make sure the opposition forces wouldn't see the platoon coming.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
At 1200 hours, the direct sunlight bears down upon the patrol base so Gabriel Feingold, a second-year mechanical engineering student, sets up a makeshift canopy to escape and take a nap.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
First-year Pepperdine accounting student Justin Calandra holds ammunition belts for his 15-pound M249 SAW. Although the cadets use blank ammunition, the weapons are still dangerous and the captains stress that they use the weapons with caution.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Captain Scott Harvie squats in front of his cadets and teaches them how to charge their jammed SAWs. All cadets respect the captains, but they particularly revere Captain Harvie with his extensive experience in deployment, West Point diploma and commanding presence.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Hackney and the platoon descend upon the opposition forces' position through a ravine.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
The medic Ashley Fairbanks (left), a third-year CSUN communications student, quickly secures a tourniquet on Hackney's leg (right). The fourth-year cadets who oversee and evaluate the platoons had previously told Hackney to pretend his leg was severely injured from the opposition's bullets.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Richard Starr (right), a third-year Arabic student, carries Jonathan Hagman (left), a third-year political science student, to the medevac location marked by the yellow smoke bomb. In real combat, the platoon would contact a helicopter to take the injured soldiers to doctors at the patrol base.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Cadets head back to the patrol base after the completed mission.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
At sunrise, Fretz already has his gear and M16 rifle ready as he walks through the patrol base.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Harrison Van Galder, a first-year physical science student, practices firing with his SAW.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Nikola Gayer, a first-year CSUN mechanical engineering student, pulls security at the edge of the patrol base. He keeps a constant lookout for enemies.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Gavin Saucedo, a second-year human biology and society student, carries Edwin Chang, a third-year environmental studies and geography student. Saucedo uses the fireman carry technique while he runs to a safe spot for Chang.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
First-years Luke Lucido, a biology student, and Harrison Van Galder, a physical science student, lean against each other during the after-action review.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Aidan Burke, a second-year financial actuarial mathematics student, uses countless cotton swabs and wet wipes to clean his rifle. It takes the cadets between five and eight hours to fully clean their weapons to the captains' satisfaction.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
At night, the cadets use red lights to preserve their night vision and prevent being detected by enemies. Jones (left) and Joshua Glenn (right), a third-year CSUN applied mathematics student, gather for ''hot chow,'' a rare, normal meal after having eaten dry military rations.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
For the last night, Hernandez and the cadets do not need to set up security through the night. For the previous nights, the cadets set up ''fire watch,'' and took shifts at the perimeter, pulling security.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
(From left to right) CSUN students James Marshall, a second-year history student, Jeremy Tiongson, a second-year business management student, and Ashley Fairbanks, a third-year communications student, watch the last cloud-streaked sunrise of the trip.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Cadets stand in formation at the awards ceremony, where some are recognized by Lieutenant Colonel Shannon Stambersky for outstanding effort.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Lieutenant Colonel Stambersky leads Alexandra Laforteza, a first-year human biology and society student, and other cadets through an oath as they are officially contracted into UCLA's ROTC.
(Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
Fourth-year CSUN theology student Matthew Jones carefully folds the American flag at the awards ceremony.
