"Dodge, Dip, Dive, Duck, and......Dodge"
Evasion was the name of the game, or games rather at this week’s Lead Lab for the IMT and the remaining POC of the wing. We were greeted with our normal briefings from Captain Anderson and Cadet Colonel Midgett bringing us up to speed on all things in the world of ROTC, and then it was time to let the fun begin. The cadets this past week were given a chance to show off their marching, as well as their planning skills and have a little fun doing it.
First up on the agenda was a game known as Tank. Now I promise you, it is not as brutal as it sounds. In the game of tank, two out of the four squadrons are assembled in formation to battle at one time. The object of the game is to get the front of your squadron to “ram” either the side or the back of the other squadron that you are competing with. The only catch is that in order to do that, the cadets have to execute the drill commands that they have been learning both last and this semester. It certainly is not as easy as it sounds. In order to come out victorious in Tank you have to have a commander who can think quick on his feet, as well as have a flight that is able to execute those commands and get the job done. Cadets also have to stay inside of a set boundary, and keep their flight in proper formation or penalties will be accrued. After 5-6 rounds of grueling battle on Tuesday between the Raptors, Eagles, Falcons, and Warthogs, it was none other than the Ferocious Falcons who came out on top to grab the glory. Both being able apply the direct hits, and also able to dodge their way to victory without racking up the penalties.
After the cadets had finished Tank, it was time for some more Wing fun with the event of Juggernaut coming up next. (I promise not all military sports names sound this violent) In Juggernaut, it is played mostly like a game of dodge- ball, except for a few exceptions. Every player on the team has a certain role that they have to play in order for the team to achieve victory. These can range from Medics who can heal a downed teammate, blockers to act as “Hulk-like” human shields, suppliers grabbing the balls for the team, and finally the attackers who bring the blistering heat. You might think that this sounds crazy enough as it is, but this week a twist was added to get the cadets using the planning skills that they had been taught. Each team before the match began was given a certain mission that had to be carried out to achieve absolute victory. These missions ranged from eliminating the other teams medic or commander to finding a way to keep all of the balls on your side. Cadets had to decide what would be the best number to have of each role in order to gain victory. The intense battles raged on, and you could see the cadets adapting their strategies and using the skills that they had learned in ROTC at every turn to fine tune their strategies. After 3-4 games there were no clear winners, but each team reached success at least once in their missions. This past Lead Lab showed both in Tank and in Juggernaut, that in the military you have to find the perfect balance of evading the enemies attack and applying that critical strike to achieve victory.
