Wildcat Roar Winter Semester 2013
Northern Michigan University
Army ROTC
L-R: LTC Kyle Rambo (PMS) , 2LT Elizabeth Eldridge, 2LT Charles Sullivan, CPT James Kolky (XO),
2LT Benjamin Rodenberg, 2LT Erwin Marciniak, COL James Gardiner (Guest Speaker), 2LT Paul Linsmeyer,
President David Haynes (NMU), 2LT David Mallard, Dr. Paul Lang (Provost), 2LT Simon Zelinski,
Dr. Harvey Wallace (Dean) and MSG James Hoffman (SMI)
Page 2 Wildcat Roar
Commander’s Notes
Families and friends of the NMU Wildcat Battalion,
Let me take a few moments to reflect on a few of our many accomplishments this semester.
We started out with winter survival training which ended being a weekly requirement all the way
through April. Despite the harsh weather, we continued to embrace the tough training conditions of
the UP, which only made us stronger. We conducted countless patrols in snowshoes. Our color
guard provided flawless performances nearly every week. We planned and executed an incredibly
exciting, and challenging FTX at Camp Grayling. We pulled off an impressive and fun military ball.
And finally our MSIIIs set the example and impressed the entire Task Force at the Combined Field
Training Exercise at Fort McCoy. We proved that good leaders shine even when the sun doesn’t.
We took time to recognize some deserving Cadets for their great performances and efforts. Congrat-
ulations to all the award winners! Finally we culminated the year by commissioning eight great
Americans who will serve this nation with distinction and integrity.
I also want to take a moment to recognize our collective group of trainers this year. The MSIVs and
cadre, with little guidance and direction from myself and only the occasional boot in the butt, came
together as a team and ensured all training was tough, realistic and safe. Their efforts made sure all
of our cadets were successful and fully prepared for follow-on training and military schools this sum-
mer.
A note to all of our recent graduates and present Cadets: When you finally catch your breath from an extremely busy and successful
school year, please take a moment to look ahead to tomorrow and your future. Many of you are well on their way to becoming out-
standing Army officers. Whether you just completed your freshman year as a Cadet or just commissioned, I ask that you continue to
strive to develop yourself as leaders. To continue to develop yourself as leaders, read, think, and study your profession at every op-
portunity. In order to prepare for the complex missions we see today. I can’t emphasize enough, the importance of a self-study pro-
gram for cadets and officers. During your self-study program I ask that you look at small unit leadership examples, especially where
leaders were forced to understand complex situations involving close contact with enemy and civilian populations. I’ve shared some
of these with the MSIVs to force them to solve difficult tactical problems in time constrained environments. Destroying the enemy
while protecting and supporting the population, has become a common task for all conflicts we are engaged in now and I expect in the
future. This common task is incredibly complex. No one, not politician, intellectual or ordinary citizen can fully comprehend or appre-
ciate the role and responsibilities of an Army officer in combat. So continue to study and prepare today, for the problems you will face
tomorrow.
To add to your complex task, or maybe to serve as a forcing function to becoming more innovative as a leader, we enter into a period
of constrained budgets and resources. During the next few years you will have to seek out ways to be more efficient and save money
without compromising standards to training in order to ensure your unit remains combat ready. You will be expected to train smarter
with limited ammo, fuel, parts, vehicles, and Soldiers. Expect to place greater emphasis on maintenance and supply discipline since
both save money. Be aware, however, maintenance and supply discipline take significant time and effort to perform to standard. I
have complete faith that each of you will be able to thrive as leaders despite the budget constraints, since your generation has man-
aged to adapt faster than any generation before it.
Here’s a few more observations I’ve made about your generation. You understand your role in the world better and are more aware of
world issues and their impact on this country. You also understand technology and absorb it much faster than my generation. And
finally, you are more intelligent than any generation that has gone before you. Despite these enormous strengths your generation is
lacking an important quality that I ask you to continue to work on…. resiliency. I had never even used this word until a few years ago
when the Army experienced a significant rise in suicides. A lack of resiliency can be partly contributed to the world you grew up in.
For example when I was growing up, getting knocked in the mouth or getting in a fight was almost a weekly occurrence. We were
forced to work out our own problems and challenges with no parents, teachers or lawyers required or requested. Now I don’t Condon
fighting or bullying, but I do know solving my own problems at an early age forced me to develop some important life skills I’ve carried
with me my entire life, especially the skill to recover from a bad situation. So to get ready for combat you have to get physical. You
also have to be mentally tough enough to get back up after being knocked down, push through the pain, never quit, complete the mis-
sion, and get up the next day and do it again.
Many of you have demonstrated you already possess some resiliency. You know who you are (320 club). I challenge the rest of you
to break from the norms of our society which promotes pain avoidance at all costs, and take the pain. Learn to manage painful events
and setbacks and ask a buddy for help. Never quit! Allow yourself to become more resilient physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I
have seen signs of greatness in all of you. Now is the time to get out there and put in the hard work to achieve it.
required or requested.
Now I don’t Condon
fighting or bullying,
but I do know solving
my own problems at an
early age forced me to
develop some im-
portant life skills I’ve
May 2013
Volume 11
Department of Military Science
Northern Michigan University
101 Gries Hall
Marquette, MI 49855
906.227.2236 (phone)
906.227.1567 (fax)
www.nmu.edu/militaryscience [email protected]
Wildcat Roar
Notes from Military Science Instructor
It has been a very extensive and rewarding school year. You all have learned a lot, as well as I, about the ROTC and Wildcat Battalion. I am impressed, and proud, of how all of the cadets have managed their studies along with the de-mands of ROTC. You all have managed this in a professional manner.
I would like to say good luck to all of the MS III going to LDAC this summer. There is no doubt that you will represent us very well and excel above your peers. To everybody else going to Cultural Understanding and Language Profi-ciency (CULP), Cadet Practical Field Training (CPFT), or just taking the summer off, I wish you safe travels and look forward to your return this fall. Remember; keep doing PT while enjoying your summer.
MS IV, future 2LT’s, I wish you God speed. You will soon be the tip of the spear. Always lead from the front and by example. Take care of your soldiers, and NCO’s and they will take care of you. Best of luck with you future Army ca-reer. I am confident that you will excel as superior Army Officers.
ALL THE WAY!
WILDCATS!
MSG James Hoffman
To the MS IIIs who have already established a reputation of excellence at the CFTX, and will spend the rest of May fighting onto their
final objective…LDAC. Continue to develop your leadership skills based on your upbringing and observations. You will observe both
good and poor leadership examples at Fort Lewis. I remind you that respect is often the difference between good and poor leader-
ship. You will probably witness some of your peers displaying a lack of respect as a follower. This will definitely sink them and their
evaluation at LDAC will reflect this leadership flaw. Maintain your mutual respect among your peers since they are your greatest ally
and will serve with you throughout your career. Also remember the golden rule when in charge, and treat your subordinates as you
would want to be treated. Finally, lead by example at every opportunity.
To the MS IVs who are now beginning their careers as officers in the Army, I can guarantee you a few things. I guarantee that you
will lead. I also guarantee you will have to prove your leadership skills and will be tested to demonstrate your personal courage. You
will have to make the hard, but right decision in the face of adversity. Your decisions will not always be popular and may even result
in failure but as the leader you make the decision. Good, bad, or stupid, make the call and take full responsibility for its effects on your
men and the mission. Also have the professional courage to question the bad decisions by your leaders. Call this your gut instinct. If
it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t. If the answer you get when you question the decision sounds something like, “I don’t know or
care”, then you are witnessing poor leadership.
Finally, as a group you worked extremely hard to ensure the younger cadets were properly trained and prepared. You should be
proud of your efforts. I know I am. I only wish I could be around to witness all the great things you will do for your Soldiers, the Army,
and this nation during your careers.
May God bless each of you and may God bless America.
LTC Kyle Rambo, PMS
Commanders notes continued . . .
Page 4 Wildcat Roar
Northern Michigan University’s Wildcat battalion inspection of Ironwood JROTC is a day of mixed feelings. For some, it’s just another day at the office. But for others, such as me, it is a return home, a return to my roots. I was born and raised in the Bessemer- Ironwood area. I myself am an Ironwood JROTC alumnus and I always enjoy going back there to see just how things have changed and in some cases, how things have stayed the same. On 27MARCH2013, NMU’s very own wildcat battalion headed to Ironwood Michigan for their yearly JROTC inspection day. Fellow Wildcat battalion cadets and I inspected uniforms, talked with possible future NMU ROTC cadets and answered any questions the Ironwood JROTC personnel may have had, be it about ROTC in college or college or life itself. LTC Manki, along with his JROTC cadet staff, ensured the day’s festivi-ties flowed smoothly and that all cadets were squared away for the inspections.
LTC Manki is the long time instructor of Ironwood JROTC and is set to retire sometime next year after many years of service to the local Ironwood community and to the Ironwood JROTC program. For many years, LTC Manki has spent long hours shaping future United States citizens and possible future Army offic-ers. He has changed many lives, me included. Thank you LTC Manki for all of your hard work throughout the years and for your continued support of Northern Michigan University’s Wildcat battalion. I look forward to the continued coopera-tion between Ironwood’s JROTC battalion and Northern Michigan University’s Wildcat battalion over the coming years. - Cadet Daniel Sackmann, MS III
German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFB)
The German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB) is a three day long competition that allows cadets and
enlisted soldiers to compete for a badge to wear on their uniforms. The badge is awarded in three standards; gold,
silver, and bronze with gold being the highest award possible. Every event has a gold silver or bronze standard. This is
a modification from previous years where events were pass/fail and the pistol shoot decided what badge you were
qualifying for. The NMU battalion sent 9 cadets to Mil- waukee, Wis-
consin in order to participate in the six events. All of the cadets
earned a badge. Two earned bronze, six earned silver, and one
earned gold. The events were spread over three days.
On Friday night all cadets completed the 100m dash, the three kilo-
meter run, and the long jump. The long jump was an alternate
event for the high jump event. The following morning, all cadets
competed in the pistol shoot. For the pistol shoot, each cadet was
given five rounds and three targets. Every target had to be engaged
at least once in order for the shots to be counted. If the cadet hit with
all 5 rounds they qualified at
the gold level, if they hit four
of five then they qualified sil-
ver, and if they hit three, then they qualified bronze. After the pistol
shoot, all cadets participated in the high jump and shot put or standing
long jump.
On Sunday morning the final event was held. It was the timed ruck
march through designated route drawn out throughout Milwaukee. Each
cadet had at least thirty-three pounds in their ruck sacks. Each stand-
ard was given a different distance they had to run and a different time
that they had to complete it in. For bronze it was 3.5 miles in less than 1
hour, for silver it was 6.5 miles in less than one and a half hours, and gold was 7.5 miles in less than two hours. After
the ruck march was completed the award ceremony began and all of the cadets were presented their badges by the
German Sergeant Major. Cadet Adam Schafer MSI
Ironwood JROTC Inspection
.
Emily Porteous is a Freshman majoring in Criminal Justice the Wildcat Battalion. Cadet
Porteous was chosen as Cadet of the Semester by a board of her peers because of her
ethics, hard work, positive attitude and determination to be the best that she can be. Ca-
det of the semester is based off of the following qualities: well organized, disciplined, a
good helper, someone who is eager to learn, always on time, and sets a good example.
The Cadets are brought before a board and asked a series of questions and voted for by
their fellow cadets. Cadet Porteous is attending basic training during the summer 2013.
The run-a-thon is an important event that Northern Michigan ROTC program holds every year. This event reminds the cadet of the contri-bution that our veterans have on today's army as well as hard work and pushing the cadets' physical boundaries. The run-a-thon is a team building event that the cadets bond, through working together to raise money for the program as well as the veterans home, the D.J. Jaco-betti Center. The run-a-thon is a chance to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves and help keep military traditions alive and support our military brothers that went before them. This year, the cadets put forward an immaculate effort. A total of 1,393 laps was ran averaging about 200 miles. Cadet Nicholas Ireland led the battalion by running over 14 miles in the two hour time period. Half of the money raised ($1000.00) was donated to the Jaco-betti Home for Veterans. We would like to thank all of the sponsors that donated to our effort. -CDT John Owens MS II
Page 5 Wildcat Roar
On Friday, March 15, the Wildcat Bat-talion hosted their annual military ball at the Marquette Armory to celebrate another years worth of hard work and dedication. The event was organized, after weeks of planning, by the ROTC’s military ball committee under the supervision of Cadet Catie El-
dridge. Upon presentation of the col-ors, the Master of Ceremonies, Cadet Derek Houser, introduced the formal event and our guest speakers to really start the evening off right. NMU ROTC’s Professor of Military Science, Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Rambo and honored guest speaker Colonel (Ret.)
James Jajich offered their words of wisdom at the event and inspired us all to continue pursuing a successful ca-reer serving our country with the Unit-ed States Army. Afterwards, cadets enjoyed a wonderful meal catered by Northern Michigan University culinary arts students and competed for a vari-ety of raffle prizes donated by local Marquette businesses. The rest of the evening was spent playing games of root beer pong and dancing to NMU’s Radio X in order to finish the formal evening. Very special thanks go to Colonel (Ret.) Jajich and his wife, the NMU culinary arts, Radio X, the many local business around Marquette, and the Marquette Armory for making the event a great success and a wonder-ful, celebratory evening. -CDT Stephanie Roberts MSI
Military Ball
Get Ready, Get Set, GO!
Porteous Named Cadet of the Semester
Page 6 Wildcat Roar
MS III’s Head to Fort McCoy, WI for a challenge
The CFTX or Combined Field Train-
ing Exercise, which were conducted at
Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, was a great
experience. The CFTX allowed cadets
the chance to step up and take a lead-
ership role. The leadership roles con-
sisted of being a Team Leader, Squad
Leader, Pla-
toon Sergeant,
First Sergeant,
Platoon Lead-
er, Company
Executive Of-
ficer and Com-
pany Com-
mander. The
CFTX consist-
ed of schools
from upper Michigan and Wisconsin,
collectively known as Task Force
Badger. The CFTX included events
such as Land Navigation, Patrolling
and garrison position. Garrison posi-
tions were normally conducted in the
barracks. The CFTX allowed us the
opportunity to operate patrols consist-
ing of three squads. Often times this
created a challenge for many of the
patrol leaders as they would have to
maintain control of thirty plus cadets at
one time. Overall, the CFTX was a
great opportunity for cadets to step up
and assume leadership positions. The
training we received will help us at our
final training exercise known as the
Leadership Development Assessment
Course, which is located at Fort Lewis
– McCord, Washington.
Cadet Brett Dehanas MSIII
The Winter FTX this year I found to be better than past years. We headed down to Camp Grayling on a Friday morning and kicked the FTX off with day and night land navigation. There wasn’t much excitement till the follow-ing day when we conducted several squad STX and patrolling lanes. The best part of the lanes was being able to use airsoft rifles. The rifles made the experience more realistic and I found myself more involved and motivated to complete the mission. Trying to keep a positive state of mind was the challenge on this FTX due to being cold and wet all day. This really put a damper on people’s attitudes, but I felt that having the airsoft weapons and acting in real-life scenarios made the weekend better. It was a great experience training in a different environment, especially being able to conduct missions in the mock village. One thing we have never done before was conduct a battalion size mission, where each company had a specific scheme of maneuver in order
to complete the mission. This situation was the greatest ex-perience I have had yet in ROTC. It was awe-some to see all the differ-ent elements involved and interesting to see how and where things can fall apart. I actually enjoyed this FTX and I had a lot of fun with it. CDT Ashley Collier, MSIII
Winter Field Training Exercise
Page 7 Wildcat Roar
Congratulations New 2nd Lieutenants!
2nd Lieutenant David Mallard
2LT Mallard graduated
from Northern with a
major in Political Sci-
ence. He attended the
2012 North American
Model United Nations
(NAMUN) in Toronto
where he was recog-
nized as being an out-
standing delegate. He
has also been recognized as being a Dis-
tinguished Military Graduate for scoring so
well on his OML accessions. Last summer
in addition to attending LDAC, 2LT Mallard
also attended and passed the Combat Div-
er Qualification Course in Key West, Flori-
da earning him the prestigious Combat
Diver Badge. 2LT Mallard branched Infan-
try Active Army and will be attending BOLC
at Ft. Benning, GA. In his spare time 2LT
Mallard enjoys cooking and studying inter-
national affairs. He is an avid dog lover and
feels that dogs bring out the best in people.
2nd Lieutenant Paul Linsmeyer
2LT Linsmeyer gradu-
ated from Northern
with a major in History.
He enjoys reading and
being from Norway,
MI, his favorite football
team is the Detroit
Lions. He branched
Military Intelligence in
the Army Reserves
and will attend BOLC
at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona.
2nd Lieutenant Elizabeth Eldridge
2LT Eldridge graduated from Northern with
a major in Biochemistry. During her time at
NMU she was a member of the Honors
Program as well as a member of the Mortar
Board National Honor Society. She also
worked at Night Vision and Electronic
Sensing Disposition for an internship and
conducted research on the effects of mer-
cury in plant ingestion. 2LT Eldridge
branched Chemical Corps Active Army and
will be attending
BOLC at Ft. Leonard
Wood, Missouri be-
fore heading off to
her duty station in
Alaska.
2nd Lieutenant Simon Zelinski
2LT Zelinski gradu-
ated from Northern
with a major in Gen-
eral Biology. 2LT
Zelinkski is a veter-
an and deployed to
Afghanistan as com-
bat medic. During
his college career
2LT Zelinski not only
managed to complete a deployment but he
also spent a portion of his time training and
fighting in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
events. In the beginning of his senior year,
2LT Zelinski traveled to Ft. Benning, GA to
complete the Level 2 Combatives course.
2LT Zelinski branched Engineer Active
Army and will be attending BOLC at Fort
Leonard Wood, MO.
2nd Lieutenant
Charles Sullivan
2LT Sullivan is
from Grosse
Pointe, MI and
started his career
at Northern in Au-
gust of 2008. This
past year, he was a completion cadet and
returned just finish his major which is Con-
struction Management with a minor is Mili-
tary Science and Business Administration.
He branched Engineer Army Reserve and
will be moving out to California upon gradu-
ation for a job. Throughout his career at
Northern he was involved in a number of
intramural sports and most notably was
very active in the Tau Kappa Epsilon frater-
nity.
2nd Lieutenant Ben Rodenberg
2LT Rodenberg is from Sparta, WI and
spent his time growing up in numerous
wrestling tournaments. He and his wife
Brittany married in 2012. He attended and
completed Air Assault School following his
sophomore year. This past summer, he
spent time in Korea in
the Cadet Troop
Leader Training
(CTLT) program. He
is an environmental
science major with an
emphasis in biologi-
cal science. He
branched Engineer in
the Michigan Army
National Guard out of the 1432nd in Iron
River, MI. He will
attend Ft. Leonard
Wood, Missouri
this fall and will
serve as the gold
bar recruiter for
NMU ROTC this
summer.
2nd Lieutenant
Erwin Marciniak
2LT Marciniak
graduated North-
ern with a major in
accounting. He
and his wife San-
dra married last
year and currently live in their own home
with their 3 cats. He recently attended the
George C. Marshall Conference at West
Pointe. He branched Engineer Active Army
and will attend BOLC at Ft. Leonard Wood,
Missouri. 2nd 2LT Marciniak graduated
from NMU with honors and during his time
at Northern was also a member of the
1431st EN CO as an SMP cadet.
By: Cadet Tyler Ratton MS III
Page 8 Wildcat Roar
2LT Rockne Belmonte—Commissioned at All American Bowl
Via GLIAC website:
Northern Michigan University alum-nus Rockne Belmonte figures he has one goal down, one to go. Belmonte, a record-setting kicker for the Wildcats’ football team, was also an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadet. A December 2012 honors graduate, he was commis-sioned as an Army second lieutenant on January 5 in San Antonio, Texas, before the kickoff of the 13th annual U.S. Army All American Bowl high school all star football game. One goal down.
Now, Second Lt. Rockne Belmonte has the opportunity for his childhood dream, his second goal, to become reality. He will participate in several National Football League (NFL) combines in the coming months where he will be given the chance to play professionally.
“I have received some interest at the IFL (Indoor Football League) and AFL (Arena Football League) levels,” Belmonte said. “But everyone I have met so far says I have a serious shot, and I have a big leg to get me there.”
Belmonte intends to pursue both Army ser-vice and a professional football career.
“My plan is to do everything I can to take my shot at the NFL while still fulfilling my service to the Army. I was assessed as
active Army, although I am hoping to get a job playing football and switch to the (Army Reserve) so I can continue to participate in the two passions I have,” he said.
Belmonte was one of a number of out-standing cadets and soldiers selected to attend the Army All-American Bowl to inter-act with and mentor the players, and speak to community leaders, educators, players and family members about his experience in ROTC and the opportunities available in the program.
Belmonte did not start his college football career at Northern Michigan -- he played at Eastern Michigan for one season. He said he enrolled in ROTC while there because he needed to be part of a team after the season ended, and he said he always wanted to serve his country.
“I was attracted by being able to have the opportunity to be a leader in the U.S. Ar-my,” Belmonte said.
He was awarded a four-year Army ROTC scholarship, and majored in physical edu-cation coaching — a major he said he chose because he didn’t want to ever leave the “great game of football — it teaches you more about life than any classroom can.”
His professor of military science at North-ern Michigan, Lt. Col. Kyle Rambo, said athletes like Belmonte epitomizes what he is looking for in a cadet.
“(He is) intelligent, athletic, and honest,” Rambo said. “He was one of our hardest working cadets who always applied every minute of his day to improving himself as a student, athlete or leader.
“NCAA athletes perform extremely well as cadets because they come fully equipped with several attributes that are some of the hardest to teach. They are dedicated, ex-tremely competitive, team-oriented and perform well under enormous pressure.”
Rambo also said ROTC reinforces all of those qualities while instilling Army values and developing leadership skills. It is for those reasons he continues to reach out to other athletes on campus to join ROTC.
“I now have three NCAA athletes who are contracted cadets in my program,” he said.
And from participation in ROTC, Belmonte said he has learned much that will put him ahead of his peers.
“(One of the things) is the ability to lead from the front and think on my feet. In foot-ball there is always an expression …that is, being able to respond to adversity,” he said. “There is no better training to be able to respond and overcome adversity than in the Army.
“When I first got up to (college), Coach Randy Awrey and the current professor of military science met with my parents and myself over dinner,” he added.” We had a talk about time management and where I was to be, depending on the time of the year. It made me master my time manage-ment skills. I am always on the run, but it makes me better at football and ROTC, because I could not be as successful in one without the other.”
He added that ROTC creates officers of character by demanding a cadet’s very best. He said he learned it isn’t acceptable to disrespect yourself, and by doing so, disrespecting the program. ROTC holds cadets accountable for everything they do or fail to do. Belmonte said this is important because people cannot be successful as leaders if they are leaders without charac-ter.
“Also, it has given me the abilities neces-sary to be a leader on the football team from a position of kicker — normally thought of as being weaker or lesser (in terms of leadership),” he said.
The record-setting kicker said that profes-sionalism is something else he learned. He
said he has always competed in sports but had always “had a sense of cocky confi-dence.” But his ROTC classes allowed him to grow that confidence and allow it to mature so he is professional about it.
As much as he has progressed in ROTC,
Belmonte has also progressed in football — starting with his favorite college mo-ments. He said one of those moments was helping NMU beat a team they had not beaten in a long while by kicking a NMU record 58-yard field goal.
Cont. on page 9
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III
and ROTC Cadet Rockne Belmonte chat
along the sidelines at the U.S. Army All-
American Bowl Combine 1 event in San Anto-
nio's Alamodome Jan. 4. Chandler took time
to speak with the cadet and get to know him
a little bit. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc.
Jared Taylor, 205th Public Affairs Operations
Center)
Page 9 Wildcat Roar
Summer Training Opportunities for NMU Cadets
CULP—Cultural Understanding Lan-
guage Proficiency Program
CDT Benjamin Carlson-Ben is currently
a Sophomore here at NMU studying Biolo-
gy with emphasis in Physiology. Ben has a
GPA of 3.4. Ben will be
Traveling to Lithuania this
summer from May 2013
thru June 2013 where he
will be working with our
NATO Partner and Lithua-
nian Military Academy .
CDT Stephanie Roberts-Stephanie is currently a Sophomore in the NMU nursing program with a cur-rent 3.9 GPA. Stephanie will
be participating in CULP in Muldova from May 2013 thru June 2013.
CDT MacKenzie Carlson-MacKenzie is a Sophomore and nursing Student with a current 3.5 GPA. MacKen-zie is also our Color Guard Captain. She is scheduled to go to WHINSEC from
May through August 2013 at Ft. Benning, GA.
CDT Garett Schoenfelder-Garett is currently active with NMU Athletics and Athletic Sports Medicine at NMU. Garett is an SMP
cadet from the Soo MI National Guard unit and will be going to Togo for his CULP June 2013 thru July 2013. Garett will be working with the Togo Military Academy as part of the Army Security Cooperation Plan. He will also perform as a cultural educator.
CDT Daniel Lee-Daniel is an SMP Cadet working towards his Crimi-nal Justice degree. He has an opportunity to go to Latvia this year with CULP and the Michigan National Guard. He will be working with the Latvia military in their conversion from a Soviet Doctrine based military to a Western, NATO mem-ber country military.
CDT Emily Allen-Emily is an active Division II NMU Cross Country and NMU Track and Field participant. She was recognized for her efforts in December by Ath-letic Director Forrest Karr.
She will be leading an educational and medical team in the country of Barbados from June 2013 thru July 2013. She was recognized as being the # 1 Cadet in our Brigade, thus receiving the CULP assign-ment in greatest demand.
CDT Chelsea Faraquhar-Chelsea is currently a Divi-sion II NMU Cross Country and NMU Indoor Track and
Field runner. She is also a nursing student and last summer had the opportunity to go to LDAC, Leadership Development and Assessment Course. This year, she has a great opportunity to go to Airborne school while also studying at the US Army’s South American and Latin American Studies and Spheres of Influence Academy at Fort Ben-ning, GA.
CDT Brett Dehanas-Brett is currently an MS III and he will be participating with CTLT, Cadet Troop Leader Training at Fort Bragg, NC. This is a great opportunity
for him to see how the Army and the Air-borne community operate and train.
CDT Nicholas Ireland-Nick will also participate this summer in the CTLT, Cadet Troop Leader Training pro-gram at Fort Bliss, TX. Most likely he will train with the Infantry and Armor Division and get better acquainted with their operations, ranges, and training in the Texas Desert.
CDT Tyler Ratton-Tylor was one of only a few Cadets in the entire Nation selected to conduct research and analy-sis for the Lawrence Liver-more National Laboratory in
San Francisco, CA. His topic of research has not been revealed.
To continue his drive toward fulfilling his football dream, he is spending January kicking on an arena football field and focus-ing on strength training so he can build leg speed and refine his technique.
Belmonte is the son of Bob and Pamela Belmonte of Grand Rapids, Mich. He said his father, a Notre Dame alumnus, named his son after the legendary Irish football coach. Born on St. Patrick’s Day, Belmonte is a 2007 graduate of Grand Rapids Catho-lic Central High School. His plans are to fly to Scottsdale, Ariz., later this month for some additional practice and later to Las Vegas for the AFL tryouts. He’ll then go to
Los Angeles for the NFL.
Without the support of his family, Belmonte said he wouldn’t be where he is now, and without the support of the NMU football and ROTC staffs he wouldn’t have been able to pursue both his dreams.
Whether he plays football in the NFL while being an Army Reservist, or is a full time active duty Army officer, Belmonte has much to teach those whom he leads.
“I am working hard toward both my goals,”
he said. “My dream shot would be to do
both.”
Newly Commissioned 2LT Belmonte and family talk with the Chief
Army Reserve LT GEN Talley
Belmonte—continued from Page 8
Page 10 Wildcat Roar
Mr. Lancer Gilliam Human Resources Assistant
Mr. Lancer Gilliam was born on 29
June, 1970 in Flint, Michigan. He is a 1988 graduate of Swartz Creek High School, Swartz Creek, Michigan and he holds 2 Community College of the Air Force degrees. One in Electronic Systems Technology and the other as an Instructor of Military Science and Technology.
Mr. Gilliam Joined the United States Air Force on 12 October, 1988 when he attended basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas. After completing Basic Military Training, he attended four months of technical training for Aero-space Ground Equipment (AGE) Me-chanic at Chanute AFB, Illinois. As an AGE Mechanic Sergeant Gilliam served at Clark AB, Philippines from 1989 – 1991 and Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan from 1991-1992. Due to ca-reer field saturation Mr. Gilliam was forced to cross-train where he selected Ground Radio Maintenance and he proceeded to Keesler AFB, Mississippi for six months of technical training for his new career choice. Mr. Gilliam’s first assignment in the Ground Radio career field was at K. I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan where he served from 1992 until it closed in 1995. After closing down K. I. Sawyer AFB, sergeant Gilliam was assigned to Fairchild AFB, Washington where he worked in the fixed radio shop. After a year of work-ing on fixed radios he transferred over to the Mobile Communications sec-tion. He later worked in the Mainte-nance Support and Land Mobile Radio
sections. In 2005 Mr. Gilliam was as-signed to Moody AFB, Georgia where he did a 4 year tour with the 820
th Se-
curity Forces Group. Finally in 2009 Mr. Gilliam arrived at Keesler AFB, Mississippi for his final assignment where he served as an Instructor Su-pervisor and Flight Chief of the Radio Frequency Transmissions Flight in the 338
th Training Squadron.
Mr. Gilliam is the recipient of two Air Force Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, four Air Force Achievement Medals, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, eight Air Force Good Conduct Medals, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. He has also received numerous quar-terly awards and letters of apprecia-tion.
Mr. Gilliam is married to the former
Melissa Jean Osantowski of Cass City
Michigan. They currently reside in
Marquette, Michigan and have two
children: Alexander and Melanie.
Cadet Allen was recognized as the
Student-Athlete-Scholar of the Month
for the month of November. Cadet Al-
len is a talented and gifted student
who works extremely hard at balancing
all three areas as a scholar, athlete,
and leader. She excels with a very dif-
ficult Major/Minor academic combina-
tion, as well as a proven athlete on the
university’s Cross-Country and Track
Teams, and now named the top indi-
vidual cadet at a grueling Ranger
Challenge competition. Cadet Allen
was honored for not only excelling in
academics and cross country and
track, but for her effort in off-field train-
ing and performance in Ranger Chal-
lenge. Cadet Allen not only met the
standard at Ranger Challenge, she
exceeded the standard. She achieved
the highest individual score amongst
all male and female competitors in the
Army Physical Fitness test. She
helped bring a Ranger Challenge
Championship back to NMU, its first in
twenty years. She helped guide the
NMU Female Ranger Challenge Team
to a 2nd
place finish at Brigade Ranger
Challenge hosted at Camp Dodge,
Iowa.
06 December 2012 cadet Emily Allen along
with LTC Kyle Rambo, Cross Country and
Track coach Ms. Jenny Ryan, and NMU
Athletic Director Mr. Forrest Karr at the
Berry Events Center.
Allen Awarded Athlete of Month for Ranger Challenge
Welcome Mr. Lancer Gilliam!
Page 11 Wildcat Roar
WELCOME CPT James Kolky—XO, APMS
Source of Commission:
Northern Michigan University
Education:
Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice
and History
Biography and Assignment History:
CPT Kolky is from Marquette, MI, he
graduated from Marquette Senior High
School in June of 1990. He enlisted in
the United States Marine Corps for a
term of 6-years (Jan 1991-Jan 1997);
completing the 13-week Marine Recruit
Basic Course at MRCD San Diego and
the 4-week long Marine Combat Training
(MCT) at San Onofre, Camp Pendleton,
CA. he attended the 18-week Amphibi-
ous Assault Vehicle Crewmember course
at Del Mar, Camp Pendleton, CA in Octo-
ber 1991 before joining up with the 3rd
Amphibious Assault Battalion, camp
Pendleton, CA.
After completing Army ROTC, he
attended the Chemical Officer Basic
Course (Branch Detail Program) at Fort
Leonard Wood, MO. Upon completion of
this course in October 2005, he was as-
signed to the 2-16IN (TF Ranger), 4th
IBCT, Fort Riley, KS to be their Battalion
Chemical Officer and Battalion Battle
Captain for the upcoming deployment for
the Iraq surge. He deployed to Iraq from
February 2007 to April 2008, attached
to 2nd IBCT “Strike Brigade” 2nd infantry
Division in Eastern Baghdad at FOB
Rustamiyah with 3 assigned Combat
Outposts and 2 functioning Joint Security
Stations, and 1 Iraqi Police Station. Dur-
ing this time, 1LT Kolky supervised the
execution of 300 missions and the cap-
ture of 120 High value Targets from vari-
ous Iraqi militias in theater. Upon com-
pletion of his deployment and his branch
detail program in the spring of 2008, he
requested to attend his primary Branch
MI Captain’s Career Course from Sep-
tember 2008 to February 2009. After
graduating from MI Captain’s Career
Course, he was assigned to 1st Air Caval-
ry Brigade as an Assistant Brigade S2
and deployed to Iraq from July 2009 to
May 2010 being the technical advisor to
the Brigade S2, brigade Commander,
and 1st Calvary Division in Baghdad and
Al-Anbar provinces. After the deployment
of 2009-2010, CPT Kolky returned to
Fort Hood TX to become the Brigade S2
Intelligence Officer for 1st Air Cavalry Bri-
gade to prepare them for their deploy-
ment to RC-North in Afghanistan begin-
ning in May 2011. CPT Kolky assisted
the Brigade S3 for their train-up at Fort
Carson, CO, in the fall of 2010 to exe-
cute High Altitude Mountainous Environ-
ment Training (HAMET) for all of the Bri-
gade Pilots. Following this train-up, CPT
Kolky was able to attend the Signals In-
telligence (SIGINT) Course at Fort
Huachuca for a 6-week course to be able
to operate assigned SIGINT equipment
from a helicopter platform.
While attending school in De-
cember 2010, he applied for a an open-
ing Company Commander position with
the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Bri-
gade (BFSB) for their upcoming deploy-
ment to Afghanistan and was selected
among 10 officers to apply to take con-
trol of B Company, 303rd Military intelli-
gence Battalion in the fall of 2011. CPT
Kolky left his Brigade S2 position 1st Air
Cavalry Brigade in April 2011.
In June 2011, CPT Kolky de-
ployed to Afghanistan with 303rd Military
Intelligence Battalion to Bagram Airbase.
He established the Battalion TOC and
coordination with 1st Calvary Division and
5 brigade Operation Sections for RC
East. By September 2011, he prepared
to take over B Company Soldiers encom-
passing 23 different teams spread out
over 11 different locations of logar,
Ghanzi, and Wardak provinces, executing
multi-discipline intelligence operations
with Special Operation Forces and three
different Brigade High Value targets and
removing 20 very large caches providing
lethal aid and financial funding to the
insurgents during his Company Com-
mander time in Afghanistan.
CPT Kolky returned to Fort
Hood, TX in May 2012 from 11 months
deployed to Afghanistan awaiting orders
for his next assignment from Human
Resources Command. He inquired about
a possible opening at Northern Michigan
University, so he could teach, coach, and
mentor future Army Officers from his
experience. He was notified by HRC in
late October of his assignment to his
alma Mater.
CPT Kolky’s awards and deco-
rations include the Bronze Star, Meritori-
ous Service Medal, Army Commendation
Medal (4 OLC), Army Achievement Medal
(2 OLC), Navy and Marine Corps Achieve-
ment Medal with Gold Star (2nd Award),
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Army
Reserve Achievement Components Med-
al, National Defense Service Ribbon (1
bronze star), Afghanistan Campaign
Medal (2x Campaign Stars), Iraq Cam-
paign Medal (2x Campaign Stars), Global
War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-
Commissioned Officer Professional De-
velopment Ribbon with numeral 2, ISAF
NATO Medal, Over Seas Service Ribbon
with numeral 3, Army Service Ribbon,
Navy Marine Corps Sea Service Deploy-
ment with 2 Bronze stars, Navy Marine
Corps Overseas ribbon, Valorous Unit
Citation Award (2007-2008), and a Meri-
torious Unit Citation (2009-2010).
Name:_____________________________________________________________ Graduation Date (month/year):________________________
Spouse Name:______________________________________________________ Major/Degree:______________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________ Phone Number:_____________________________________
City:_________________________________ State: _____________ Zip: _________________ Cell Phone: ______________________________
Email address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Employment Status:______________________________________ Employer:_____________________________________________________
Please feel free to update/share anything else with us that is important to you: (along with any memories that you wish to share)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Page 12 Wildcat Roar
Alumni Updates Requested
Military Science
1401Presque Isle Ave
Marquette, MI 49855
Please mail above form to: NMU ROTC, 1401 Presque Isle Ave, Marquette, MI 49855 or send via email to [email protected]
To DONATE to the NMU Wildcat Battalion please make check payable to NMU Ranger Fund and mail your check to NMU Rang-
er Fund, 1401 Presque Isle Ave, Marquette, MI 49855 or you may email [email protected] to inquire about specific projects
that ROTC might be seeking donations for.
