ASU ROTC cadets earn Best Battalion title
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Augusta State has earned the title Best Battalion at the 2012 Spring Joint Field Training Exercise (JFTX) in Fort Benning, Ga.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Keith Cantrell, chair of the Department of Military Science, several universities participated in this four-day competition including the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and Auburn University.
Cantrell said a total of 364 cadets competed in the JFTX and five of the 10 ASU cadets that participated ranked in the top 60. Among the ASU cadets that won top honors were Jonathan Luke, recipient of the Top Cadet Award, and Monica Shoffner who earned the 5th Best Female award.
“We are so proud of the hard work displayed by our cadets during the JFTX,” Cantrell said. “Throughout this competition, our team continued to perform at an exceptional level of professionalism and I am glad they were awarded for that. “
Cantrell said the JFTX kicked off with a written land navigation exam leading directly into an Army Physical Fitness Test, where ASU achieved the highest score. The team then conducted five hours of land navigation which involved traversing several kilometers of dense, diverse terrain in all directions.
The competition also included other field training exercises such as two days of 12-hour Squad Situational Tactical Exercises and three hours of night land navigation.
“As I stated before, we are truly proud of our cadets because they remained Jaguar Strong in each exercise,” Cantrell said. “This was a difficult competition, but the work of the ASU cadets proved that they are ready for the challenge of the Leadership Development Assessment Course this summer.”
