New Cadets

Current Cadets

Schools

Activities

Army ROTC Offers Many Opportunities to Excel

In Army ROTC, it's not all classroom and field training. There are many opportunities for you to get to know your fellow cadets better and increase your skills in a variety of areas. Learn more about these events and activities below.

Activities:

• Ranger Challenge
• Pershing Rifles
• Color Guard
• Orienteering
• Army 10-Miler Team

Ranger Challenge

Ranger challenge is considered the "varsity sport" of Army ROTC.  It usually consists of a nine-person team that represents the school's ROTC program in a variety of different competitions against other schools.   The Ranger Challenge team focuses on military-type skills.  The activities are exciting and demanding. Learning these skills and practicing them tends to boost confidence, which can in turn help you to be a better leader. The physical nature of Ranger Challenge will enable you to meet what the average cadet might think of as the most grueling of obstacles with confidence, because you know that you can accomplish the tasks. This confidence, and the drive and dedication that it took for you to get it, will help you with many of the challenges you will face on campus and in life.  Because of last year's 1st Place win in Division B, the Blue Jay team moved up to Division A.  This year the team took 1st Place in the top Division 1   Of the four "guidon streamer" events, the team placed first in the Obstacle Course and the 1-Rope Bridge and second in the Ruck Run.   Last year's team first in the Obstacle Course, first in the 10K Ruck Run, first in the 1-Rope Bridge and second in the "Commander's Challenge" (team litter carry) by 0.2 seconds.  They placed first overall in their division.  Nice legacy...

Back to Activities

Pershing Rifles

The National Society of Pershing Rifles is an ROTC-affiliated military honor society, headquartered at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, with chapters at colleges and universities across the nation.  John Joseph Pershing established the organization in the late 1800s as Company A, a crack rifle drill unit.  In 1894, the unit changed its name to honor its founder, who went on to become the first and only General of the Armies (5-Star General) during the First World War.  Since then the organization has been through many changes, but has kept its primary goal of upholding the ideals instilled by Black Jack Pershing in the Varsity Rifles, which include loyalty, devotion, friendship, justice, truth, purity of heart, rectitude of conduct, and cleanliness of spirit. The Johns Hopkins chapter of the Pershing Rifles  has been active in the community since its inception in the early 1900s, sponsoring various service projects and performing in events ranging from Presidential Inauguration Parades to Baltimore's Preakness and Thanksgiving Day Parades.  Company E-8 has participated in competitions across the country, including invitational meets at the University of Kentucky, Louisiana's Tulane University, and New York's Cornell University.  In November 1998 at the Cornell University Drill Meet, the team took 5th place and Josh Mitchell and Owen Johnson took 4th place in the duet exhibition.  In February 2001, Jon Grassbaugh and Paul Santamaria took first place in the duet competition at the Tulane national drill meet.  In September 2002 the company hosted the Eighth Regimental Commander's Call that included Pershing Rifle companies from across the nation.  The Drill Team also periodically performs halftime shows for the Johns Hopkins lacrosse and football teams. Other chapters in the Baltimore-Washington area include Morgan State University (Co. J-8) and Howard University (Co.G-8)

Back to Activities

Color Guard

The Army ROTC Color Guard is one of the most noticeable parts of our program.  This highly specialized, precision team protects and displays the U.S., Maryland, Army, and University colors.  The requirements to participate on the team include understanding of the fundamental movements of drill and ceremonies and dedicated time to practice and participate (about 2 hours a week, including performance time).   As a member of the color guard performing at various sports and military functions, you will have the opportunity to attend and dine FREE!

Back to Activities

Orienteering

Orienteering is a sport in which orienteerers use an accurate, detailed map and a compass to find points in the landscape.  It can be enjoyed as a walk in the woods or as a competitive sport.  A standard orienteering course consists of a start, a series of control sites that are marked by circles, connected by lines and numbered in the order they are to be visited, and a finish.   The control site circles are centered around the feature that is to be found; this feature is also defined by control description (sometimes called clues).  On the ground, a control flag marks the location that the person must visit.  To verify a visit, the person uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her control card.  Different punches make different patterns of holes in the paper.  The route between "controls" (refers to the flag or the site) is not specified, and is entirely up to the person; this element of route choice and the ability to navigate through the forest are the essence of orienteering.  Most orienteering events are held on Sundays in the local parks and forests.  We normally meet early for a short class on orienteering, transport to the event in government vans, conduct the event, eat a yummy MRE or have a cook out, and return to campus.  Between the Quantico Orienteering Club (Northern Virginia) and the Susquehanna Orienteering Club (Southern Pennsylvania) there are 2-3 events each month.

Back to Activities

Army 10-Miler Team

The Army Ten Miler is an annual event held in Washington D.C. which welcomes thousands of both civilian and service member participants to the nation’s capitol for what can be considered nothing short of an exhilarating experience. Following a relatively historic and scenic route past many of the city’s most famous monuments and buildings, the Ten Miler is an incredibly popular race that some choose to run competitively while others participate for more personal reasons, often inspiring fellow runners with American flag running attire and even patriotic music! Hundreds of spectators line up along the course of the entire ten-mile route to cheer on their friends and family and encourage everyone from the ages of fifteen to seventy to finish successfully. For the past several years, members of the Blue Jay Battalion have registered as individual participants in the race; however, the enthusiasm and interest expressed by both cadre and cadets in running this year’s twenty-first Army Ten Miler is unprecedented. Two teams of eight runners will be participating in this year’s race. The plan also involves enjoying one nice, big, carb-charged meal together as a team the night before in order to motivate each other and stock up on energy prior to game day! The Army 10-Miler team has become so popular that there is now a year-round weekly running club.

Back to Activities

2007 Ranger Challenge Championship Team

Here the team poses for a quick picture before starting the 10k ruck march.