The Best Decision Anyone Can Make

            My name is Meghan Laban and I’m a sophomore at James Madison University. Just this semester, I started going by Cadet Laban instead. I made the decision by myself to join Army ROTC program as a sophomore even though I knew I would have a lot of catching up to do. Everyone in the sophomore class had already completed a full year of the program, so I was always worried I would be too far behind, not know what was going on half the time, and not be as successful as the other cadets in my class. I’ve been in the program for about two months now, and it has definitely had a few ups and downs. I thought I understood a lot about the Army but I was wrong about several things. From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it. In just a few short months, I’ve learned so much. Most cadets hear about my position and apologize, make a weird face, or say they’re glad they’re not me. However, my unique position doing MSI (freshman) and MSII (sophomore) work together is making me a better cadet, a better leader, and showing me how to get a competitive advantage in life. I’ve had several reality checks about the Army, learned how to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and figured out where I want to go with my life.

            One of the first things I assumed about the Army was that it was a lot of independent work and thinking, kind of like a competition between soldiers/cadets. I realized I was wrong on the very first day when one of the Cadets wondered who I was, asked questions about me, and even offered to help me get adapted to the program. To this day, Cadet Hudson and I are good friends and he still always helps me when I need it, which I appreciate a lot. Even the person in the highest leadership position, Cadet Racanelli, sat down with me later in the semester to talk about my interests and goals in the Army. This made me realize that the Army is all about being there for each other and helping your comrades because we’re all stronger when we’re together. My other assumption about the Army ROTC was that it was going to be strict and serious all of the time. I realized I was wrong about that when I started to actually enjoy the time I would spend doing activities in the program. In the beginning of the semester, a member of the Cadre, which are the adult faculty and staff, said, “The Army is the greatest fraternity or sorority you can ever be in” and I wasn’t too sure about that statement. However, doing things like the team building ropes course, color guard, the labs, and even just hanging out with other cadets made that statement completely true. At this point, I feel sorry for those who are going through college and not getting to experience the things that I am and the bonds I’m making with people.

            Even though the ROTC program has had its enjoyable moments, it’s not exactly an easy part of my life. I’m taking on double the classroom time and workload that the people in my class are, and up until recently I thought it put me at a huge disadvantage. I was tired all of the time, the information I would learn at different times got mixed together and confusing, and I was over-worked. Then, throwing physical training (PT) early in the mornings into the mix was even harder to get used to. I had spent my whole summer working a full time job (that I didn’t have to wake up before dawn for) which didn’t leave much time for exercising and getting completely fit. The combination of mental and physical exhaustion put me on the brink of quitting the program several times. For some reason, I decided to stick it out and all of the sudden it clicked for me. Waking up early isn’t as hard, PT doesn’t make me want to collapse, and I enjoy going to all my ROTC classes and learning new things. I finally broke through my comfort zone and there’s nowhere to go from here but up. I feel as though I have a new drive now to continue pushing myself and doing as much as I can to improve. I learned that each cadet earns OML which are Order of Merit List points for going above and beyond your average duties. Examples that get cadets OML points are writing articles, being involved in other activities at JMU, taking languages critical to the Army such as Arabic, Hindi, or Swahili for example, public speaking, and so many more options. I even joined color guard as a way to get OML points and meet new people, and it’s proved to be a unique experience. Doubling up on classes and duties actually makes it easier to stay on top of things and makes me realize I have come too far to think about giving up. There have even been several times where people in my MSII sophomore class forget things they learned last year and it’s still all fresh in my mind which makes me feel like I’m really retaining the information I’m given.

            In addition to all the things I’m doing in the present, I feel as though my future is a lot clearer. I’m taking an army critical language and getting points for it, I know I’m going to spend the next several years after graduation with a place in the Army, and I know I want to take an intelligence path. The Army and the ROTC program has helped me reach those conclusions and become more confident in my future. Even if I have any changes of heart about my future, I know the program will try to work with me to do what’s best. My peers who aren’t in ROTC wonder what they’ll be doing in three years and constantly worry about it, while all I do is look forward to it. Everyone in ROTC is getting a competitive advantage over others. We’re learning how to think critically, be adaptive leaders, deal with any situation we’re presented with, and be there for each other. Our futures couldn’t be brighter and we owe it to ROTC.

            In conclusion, while there have been some low times for me, I don’t regret my decision at all. Sometimes I feel alone since I’m the only one integrating this way, but then I realize the Army is a huge support network that is full of opportunity. I would recommend this program to anyone. I even had one of my freshman friends talk to me about joining the program as a sophomore but worrying he would be too far behind. I got to talk to him about my position and how much I’ve grown, and it was really rewarding I got to help him make the best decision for his future. I have a new perspective on the world’s greatest military, learned how to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and figured out what I want my future to look like. While some days are still hard, this is a decision I won’t regret, and I hope everyone feels the same way I do.