"Every member of the military operates under the full assumption that they may be called upon to put their life on the line for the defense of our country," said Mark Sayson, '04, a member of the Air Force ROTC at UMass. "The fact that this calling may come for some at this present time, while unfortunate, is both necessary and noble."
President George Bush has already called thousands of members of the National Guard to active duty, in addition to thousands more of the reserves of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. While most ROTC students, as officer candidates, were not called upon, many who are enrolled concurrently in the reserves worked special shifts following the attacks and are on alerted status.
"The atmosphere at ROTC has definitely changed, and, as far as I can tell, this will be a long-lasting effect," said Sayson. "The change in the outlook of the cadets is evident: while last year we were very casual about ROTC and did not expect the military to be called upon suddenly, we now see that it can happen at any time, and it has helped us to understand the necessity and importance of our training."
ROTC cadets attend courses on military structure and history, as well as the anatomy of their specific branch of the military; upperclassmen engage in military exercises. All of this trains the students for a minimum service of four years following graduation for those under scholarship.
"The attacks haven't really changed my point of view. I'm ready to serve, but I'm also not very gung-ho about running into battle unnecessarily," said Derek Cash '05, a member of the Air Force ROTC at UMass. "So, I agree with what the U.S. is doing right now, which is taking its time, investigating and hopefully avoiding a costly war."
Naturally, those most immediately affected by recent events are those currently enlisted in the military, especially those servicemen stationed in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. military action is expected to originate. U.S. Navy statistics list the total number of sailors and marines in the Persian Gulf at 10,957, stationed on 21 ships with 66 aircraft. All troops in the Gulf are operating under "Threatcon Delta," their highest state of alert. Bush has ordered at least one ship that was due to return home to stay in the Gulf, while sending others to the area from their station at a port in Bahrain.
Much like members of the ROTC, students at the United States Military Academy will be entering the military in the near future. However, the more intensive military atmosphere at such campuses as West Point has included the strengthening of security and a sense of urgency among exiting seniors, bound to be lieutenants as soon as next year.
"I think we need to take a more active role in going out and finding these people and holding the terrorists, and the countries who have been harboring them, responsible for their actions," said Oliver Schrang, a freshman at at West Point. "I think it's ridiculous that our mainland can be attacked like that. There should be no more diplomacy or anything like that. It's time to send in the troops, take military action and get rid of terrorism."
A conscientious understanding and respect for the rights of millions of innocent civilians who may be involved in military action prompts other military personnel to stress caution and just action.
"Afghanistan has been in the news a lot lately, but we can see that along with housing some of the world's deadliest terrorists and America-haters, there are millions who are simply trying to survive under the harshest conditions," said Sayson. "Information will be paramount as we decide our military objectives. Despite the risks, I believe that we need to involve, if not rely on, ground forces if we are to successfully weed out the bad from among the helpless."