The Falcon   |   Volume 81, Issue 26

Published 6/02/10   |   Log In

Air Force reinforces leadership

Senior Stephen Snelling, cadet lieutenant colonel, will be attending pilot training school in December to become an Air Force pilot.
Photo credit: HALEY LIBAK/The Falcon.

By HALEY LIBAK, Layout Editor

Published: May 19, 2010

It is 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. The air is brisk and cold. It is late February and the sky is light grey as the sun slowly rises over the 520 Bridge and Lake Washington.

Husky Stadium is empty and silent. After sliding time cards upon arrival, Air Force ROTC cadets enter and form into their "flights" of 30 people at the end-zone on the field.

Murmurs of "good morning, cadet" float through the still, damp morning.

Then, without warning, the cadets begin physical training. In unison, stretching exercises and jumping jacks commence. By 7:30 a.m., cadets have zigzagged and ran every set of stairs in the lower bleachers of the stadium.

Freshman Stephanie Vis, a cadet fourth class, is preparing to learn Persian before leaving to Tajikistan later this summer. Photo credit: HALEY LIBAK/The Falcon.

History

Seattle Pacific began participating in the Air Force ROTC program in 1984. But within the last few years, enrollment from SPU has dropped, Capt. Tae Um said in an e-mail. Um is an assistant professor of aerospace studies at the University of Washington.

As of now, there are only four SPU students that are members of Air Force ROTC.

While most students on campus are still sleeping, ROTC members have been awake for three hours, if not more. Cadets often begin their days between the hours of 4 and 5 a.m., sometimes after getting only a couple hours of sleep.

A typical week for an ROTC cadet consists of multiple responsibilities.

Two days a week, cadets have physical training, which is exclusively held at the UW except on a few occasions. Each session lasts an hour.

Thursdays consist of leadership lab. This activity varies from week to week. Sometimes it consists of running different drills, such as clearing buildings.

Finally, cadets are enrolled in a class that meets at UW. The aerospace studies course educates the cadets about Air Force history as well as what to expect during active duty.

ROTC requires hours and hours of commitment a week, the lowest being six or seven hours. During the busiest weeks, though, briefings, leadership labs, classes and physical training can eat away at the clock, often totaling more than 20 hours.

Though it can be time consuming and overwhelming at times, the rewards and purpose of ROTC remain unquestionable.

"You begin to realize that it is really something that has been put into place by God," said freshman Stephanie Vis, cadet fourth class. "You have every right as a Christian to question things, but at the end of the day, you're really working not for yourself, but for God and for your countrymen."

Senior Stephen Snelling

Ever since senior and Air Force cadet Stephen Snelling was a little boy, it was his dream to be a pilot. That lifelong reverie has become a reality.

Early last fall, Snelling walked into class late one day and began chatting with a friend. The instructor, Col. Jeffrey Gustafson, interrupted and said, "Cadet Snelling, I got news for you."

Snelling thought, "Uh oh, I'm in trouble."

Instead, Gustafson announced, "Congratulations, you just got selected to be a pilot. You need to go fill out the necessary paperwork."

Disbelief took control and Snelling sat in his chair with his mouth wide open, in complete shock. His classmates congratulated him.

"I don't really remember much from the rest of the day because I was in shock, that I actually got bumped up to pilot," Snelling said. "I never really expected it to happen. Total God thing."

Snelling will attend pilot training school in December and will then take the necessary steps to make the Air Force his career.

However, the path to this goal was not easy for Snelling. There were many challenges and obstacles along the way. Sometimes this meant only an hour of sleep while having to balance ROTC with school responsibilities.

Still, this brought about a balance between the two separate lifestyles.

"There's me, Steven the ROTC cadet, and then there's me, Steven the student," Snelling said. "And yes, they are the same person and yes, they do interact, but I will treat the people who I am professionally interacting with at ROTC different than I will treat the students who I have in class with me."

Much of his decision to join ROTC was unplanned, Snelling said. However, that decision back in freshman year has significantly influenced 'Snelling the cadet' and 'Snelling the student.'

While living a dual life, Snelling has found a way to strike a balance.

"It's been a journey to get there because I am a goofball, I love to laugh, I smile way too easy," he said. "It keeps life interesting and keeps me somewhat sane."

The heart and dedication to serve in the military offers the cadets numerous benefits and opens doors while attending SPU. Since joining Air Force ROTC, Snelling has been in three different leadership positions across campus: He has served on Hill Hall council as vice president, peer advisor and head of the mentoring department for Sharpen.

Snelling never used to be the type of person who took charge or ran for a leadership position, he said. As a result of ROTC, he is much more confident in himself.

"In so many different ways, the Air Force has helped me," Snelling said. "Particularly the training, but also I've met amazing people that have not only shaped me but helped me learn more about myself."

Snelling originally chose to attend Seattle Pacific because he wanted a challenge, especially in the area of faith, he said. A juxtaposition of comfort and challenge became a part of his ROTC experience.

"Joining ROTC was a challenge. I had no idea what it was," he said. "Staying in the program for four years has been a challenge, but at the same time, there is a certain level of comfort that's found in that."

Stephanie Vis

The clock reads 5:40 a.m. on Tuesday. Vis climbs down from the top bunk. The bed creaks and her roommate rolls over, yet remains asleep. Light floods the darkroom as Vis quietly moves around, preparing for physical training. Within 10 minutes, she is ready to go and walks out the door. The swishing noise of her PT uniform fills the empty and silent hallway.

This routine is repeated from week to week. This path began back during Vis' sophomore year of high school, when ROTC became an option because it offered a real college experience, she said.

After applying and receiving an ROTC scholarship, Vis knew it was the right decision. "Everything that happened, happened at the exact right time," she said.

Since then, Vis has had an interesting and unique year at SPU. Air Force ROTC has been a time-consuming commitment, often filling 20 hours a week of her schedule.

Along with physical training, leadership lab and an aerospace studies course, Vis is also a member of the Honor Guard. This adds an extra two-hour practice each week.

"I love every moment of it," Vis said.

The ROTC process and experience is a timely, tiring journey for the cadets, but surely has its purposes and rewards, especially the camaraderie.

"I know how everyone talks about how when you're in the military, you are bonded, but I never realized the extent that you bond until you get into the program," Vis said. "You bond with your flight mates, (and) you bond with your class."

"Not to be absolutely cliche," she said, "but it's like one big family."

Leadership is central to ROTC. It is a lesson that cadets recognize and learn from early on, often altering a previously held outlook.

"In high school, I was definitely the leader type person," Vis said. "I was ASB president and president of 50 bazillion clubs, but now it's like starting all over at the bottom of the totem pole."

"And instead of learning leadership, I'm learning followership, which is a tough act to learn," she added, "but it needs to be learned if you're going to be an effective leader."

Looking Ahead

Just as the pathways to join ROTC vary in desire and interest, the end result for cadets is entirely unique. While typical students enter the "real world" after graduation, members of ROTC will commission.

Assuming a cadet has not gotten a specialty job, such as pilot, cadets will attend Air Space Basic Course after graduation. All officers, from the Air Force Academy or ROTC, will participate in this step, which provides introductory training. Afterward, each cadet will be sent to a base and start his or her job.

Joining the military is a voluntary service, offering an inimitable future for each cadet. Motivations may differ, but the overall purpose is the same.

"They (family) are one of the reasons why I do this," Snelling said. "We all have different reasons for serving, mine is because there are people here worth serving for."

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