With their battle buddies under fire and ammunition running low, it was up to the remaining squad members to cross the raging river with a ladder, clear the wall and deliver fresh boxes of ammo to their weary peers to keep up the fight.
A group of 138 Junior ROTC high school cadets wrapped up four days of training Thursday during four hours of problem-solving and moving quickly to overcome obstacles at a Fort Hood leadership reaction course.
Working together in squads, the students tackled nine stations, each with a specific scenario and mission. Cadets had five minutes to strategize and 10 minutes to carry out their task.
Soldier trainers watched closely to ensure safety, enforce the rules of the simulation and at times bark out suggestions.
Throughout the annual Phantom Warrior Junior Cadet Leadership Challenge, students learned to work together, consider feedback from team members and respect the decisions of the squad leader.
Cadets from Killeen, Ellison, Shoemaker, Harker Heights and Chaparral high schools in Killeen ISD joined peers from Copperas Cove, Waco, Crosby and Longview for the training experience.
The students slept in military barracks, ate in Fort Hood dining facilities or consumed MREs in the field, traveled across the post on buses and trained all week together.
During the leadership stations on the final day, incoming Killeen High School senior Colin Edrosa said he could see his squad learning to communicate more effectively as they worked through the given tasks.
“Today is mostly about teamwork. We’re getting to know each other better. Our dynamic is not really there yet, but I think we’ll be there with enough of these obstacles,” he said.
“Honestly, all of this is fun and encouraging…It challenges how we think and communicate. It’s getting to us.”
The camp, he said, was difficult and fun at the same time. “I like spending time with my guys, getting to know them and making new friends.”
Shoemaker sophomore Keniya Nash agreed the camp schedule was challenging and that working together with peers made it fun.
“We’re learning how to work as a team and not overpower each other,” she said. “We used trial and error. We’re learning to strategize more and to build a plan and stick to it,” she said.
“The camp has been a rollercoaster. We’re learning about each other. We’ve made a lot of friends from other schools.”
Chaparral junior Madison Almanza was a squad leader Thursday. “It’s about collaborating and working together,” she said. “I was the leader, but everyone has to communicate. We all helped.”
“It can be overwhelming and I get sore,” said Ellison junior Sasha Lauderdale of the four days of training.
“I think jumping in the water was really fun. It made us suffer together and brought us together as a team.”
David Lee, a Harker Heights senior also praised the leadership training at the camp, explaining that students rotated through different roles within their squads every day to share the responsibility and learn about leading and following.
“This is so good because all the cadets are experiencing different (roles). We can teach other and learn from other students. I can teach to their weakness, and I can learn about my weaknesses from them."
Photos: www.killeenisd.org/photos