Casin Buckmeier is a 21-year-old Cadet from Rugby, North Dakota in the UND Army ROTC program. He is majoring in Helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Systems. The ROTC Program stands for the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps where college students who are interested in pursuing a career in the military while attending classes. They participate in training and exercises, develop leadership skills, learn about various career paths, and eventually become an Officer.
“Through time in the program, one learns about the various career paths available and determines if becoming an Officer is their calling,” Buckmeier said. “The Army ROTC program has been instrumental in developing me into the person who I am today; the structure, challenges, and opportunities available through the program push me closer to my dreams every day.”
Buckmeier completed his Basic Combat Training, and after learning about the scholarships the program provides for young Cadets and was offered a scholarship himself, he got involved.
“After I was offered a scholarship, I decided to test it out and instantly appreciated the camaraderie and structure the program adopts,” Buckmeier said. “As a kid straight out of high school, I never intended or expected to join the Army, and if I didn’t give it a chance, I would have never realized that it was the right choice for me.”
A day in the life of a ROTC Cadet looks like waking up to physical training, such as running, swimming, rucking, or more, in the mornings followed hurrying home to eat and shower for a day full of classes. Squeezing any coursework in when there is a little bit of free time before going to ROTC course where Cadets learn material specific to their phase in the program. Once a week, there is a lab for Cadets to learn about tactics and operations of the Army, but the days end with any extracurricular activities the students are involved in before going to bed to do it all again the next day.
Buckmeier is a squad-leader where he is accountable for three others; he makes sure they are understanding and following any information they receive and sticking to their routine that consists of training, practices, and other events.
“Throughout the semester, I look over these cadets as if they are my younger siblings and I do whatever I can to assist them in succeeding,” Buckmeier said. “I have completed two years in the Army ROTC Program, and I have two and a half years left.”
Buckmeier plans to move to Utah to continue his military career after college and start a family. Within the military, he wants to serve as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, but his civilian career status remains undecided.
“After commissioning and completing any necessary training, I will have a twelve-year contract with the Army National Guard, putting me close to retirement by age 38,” Buckmeier said. “I have an open mind in regard to my civilian career, but ultimately would love to get into aerial photography and start my own business.”
Kelsie Hildebrand is the Dakota Student Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at [email protected].
