News

Before the Corps

The Corps of Cadets is the largest, most visible student organization and leadership program at Texas A&M University. The Corps is home to over 2,300 cadets who learn and practice leadership skills through a military framework. It is also a place where cadets grow, learn, and create lasting relationships for a lifetime. Fortunately, for three young men from El Paso, Texas, the Corps of Cadets was only able to strengthen their friendships as they started the Corps journey together four years ago.

Austin Crossland ‘19, Ryan Lam ‘19, and Chris Hernandez ‘19 are three cadets from Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas. As sophomores in high school, Ryan and Chris became close friends as they attempted to start their high school’s first Junior ROTC (JROTC) program. Their shared involvement in extracurriculars brought Austin, Chris and Ryan together on several occasions. Eventually, a friendship within the trio formed and the three young men became good friends for the remainder of their time in high school. As the high school seniors graduated, Ryan and Chris had previously committed to attend Texas A&M University and join the Corps of Cadets. For Austin the decision to join the Corps wasn’t made until his new student conference, just a few weeks before classes began. After discussing with a former cadet what the Corps had to offer him, Austin recognized that the Corps of Cadets was the perfect organization through which to challenge himself.

“The continuation of the family community from El Paso to College Station has been really comforting,” said Austin. “It’s also neat because in El Paso it was as if the mountains brought us together, and here it’s the campus that brought us together.”

During the Corps

The friendship between the three young men began long before they each joined the Corps, but as they have testified, it only grew since beginning the Corps experience together. The Corps experience gave their friendship an aspect that only they can understand, and ultimately shaped them into leaders of character for the future.

“The three of us—in almost the same positions, doing the same things, and attending meetings together every week—are the closest we’ve ever been,” said Chris. “It’s just the nature of what our position is and the shared experience.”

Austin, Ryan, and Chris each gained incredible insights on leadership and character since joining the Corps of Cadets. The leadership roles, personal interactions, and values of the Corps left a lasting impact on each cadet that they will take with them as they embark on their future endeavors.

“We are extremely blessed every single day that we got to interact with these people on a daily basis because they are all amazing,” Ryan said. “I think that is a testament both to the organization and the university, and it’s just been my greatest privilege in college, maybe in life, to get to know these people on a regular basis.”

According to Austin, aside from the interactions and relationships made in the Corps of Cadets, what is most important is what was learned from those interactions and relationships. He suggests that the life lessons gained from this organization are much more than what cadets could even begin to understand.

For four years, Ryan, Chris and Austin lived on the Quad, a collection of dorms, leadership learning centers and a dining hall, located on the campus of Texas A&M. Every day they walked through the main entrance to the Quad, under four brick arches.

“The words we walked under every day on the arches say ‘We Make Leaders.’ It doesn’t say ‘the Corps makes leaders,’” he said. “It’s all about the lessons that you learn from the people above you, below you, your buddies, and those from the past whose footsteps you get to walk in.”

Each of the three young men agreed that it is the way the Corps placed them together, in an environment of opportunity and challenge, that has created a lasting mark on their lives.

These cadets also held leadership positions throughout their time in the Corps of Cadets that only broadened their experiences and prepared them for the future. Austin served as a Guidon Bearer and Squad Leader, Sergeant Major, and as the Major Unit Commander for 2nd Wing. Ryan served as a Fire Team Leader, First Sergeant as well as the Major Unit Commander for First Regiment. Chris was an Assistant Fire Team Leader, Sergeant Major his junior year, and served as the Second Regiment Commander. Collectively the three of them led over 750 cadets as Major Unit Commanders. Their devotion to leadership and leading by example within the Corps of Cadets molded them into young men who will lead future generations to success in countless fields of endeavor. Although their Corps experience has ended, the cadets were able to sum up their Corps experience in a few words: buddies, passion, and character development.

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned is the passion and drive to continue to develop my character,” said Chris. “The goal of the Corps is to develop qualities to assist you after you graduate and I think that [character development] was something that the Corps really helped guide me toward.”

After the Corps

For the three seniors, the Corps journey ended on Saturday, May 4^th, at the annual Final Review, which marks the culmination of the school year for the Corps of Cadets. Austin, a Sports Conditioning major, will graduate in December with plans to commission into the United States Marine Corps. Ryan, an Industrial Distribution major, and Chris, a Political Science and German double major, both graduated this May. Ryan commissioned into the United States Navy and Chris commissioned into the United States Marine Corps. Honor, courage, integrity, discipline, respect and selfless service are all values that each cadet learned and embodied throughout their time at Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets.

These three young men join a 142-year legacy of leadership excellence that has become the hallmark of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. They will continue their success in the future, having learned the values of the Corps of Cadets and having established friendships that will last a lifetime.

By Kaitlin Villa ‘22

by: Kaitlin Villa ’22

Texas A&M University’s Corps of Cadets hosted forty South Korean Army ROTC cadets for a month-long Leadership Program.  The program consists of the South Korean cadets participating in every facet of cadet life during their time on campus. Texas A&M has hosted students annually since 2014, and continues to provide an impactful program for cadet participants. The more structured purpose of the trip is to expose South Korean cadets to the academics, leadership, daily life as well as physical training activities provided by the Corps.  The program benefits both A&M and South Korean cadets by introducing one another to the diverse backgrounds each group brings.

South Korean Cadets in front of the Arches at the QuadStudents from the allied nation are annually hosted by volunteer cadets. These volunteers are responsible for hosting one South Korean cadet during their stay. These responsibilities include assisting the cadet in the academic, physical, and social transition of college life and the Corps of Cadets.

Squadron 18 Commanding Officer Stephen Elliott ‘19 has had the privilege to host international cadets for three years and describes the experience as one that is irreplaceable. “I did not know exactly what was expected at the time but from my limited amount of international travel I knew it would be amazing to get to know someone from a different culture and military background,” Stephen explained. “This was my third and final time to be able to host a Korean cadet and each time I learned more and appreciate more about our brothers and sisters in arms from South Korea.”

In his final year of hosting, Stephen was given the honor to host South Korean cadet, Woochan Kwon, and the two were instantly friends. “We come from common backgrounds, at all levels of the social ladder, and are all geared to the same call of selfless-service,” Stephen revealed. “I learned that these commonalities supersede any language barrier or difference in environment.”

Woochan Kwon is a political science and diplomacy major from Busan, which he jokingly referred to as “Korean Texas.” His interest in the Korea-U.S. alliance led him to apply for this opportunity, and his experience at Texas A&M University was one of a lifetime. Woochan explained that “anyone in Korea would jump at the chance to visit America, but the fact that I wear my uniform and represent my nation, makes it all the more meaningful for me.”

The process that took place for such an honor consisted of an application, interview, a strong academic record, and fluency in the English language. Out of over 1,000 applicants, only 40 South Korean cadets were chosen for the opportunity. Woochan definitely took advantage of the experience he was selected for.

“Since we lived amongst different outfits across the Quad, I learned something new everyday through interactions with Texas A&M cadets,” he explained. “Since we are from different countries, it’s interesting to compare and contrast our daily lifestyles.” Not only did he make incredible relationships with A&M cadets, Woochan also learned many leadership skills which he plans to use back to South Korea. Woochan also reported that he learned about the importance of teamwork and how essential it is to effectively communicate messages.

“One of the most impressive things about the Corps of Cadets is the student leadership,” he shared. “Initially, I was worried about my limited English skills. However, everyone I met always took the time to make sure that they fully understood what I was trying to communicate. When I get back to Korea, I’ll not hesitate to help people from other countries.”

Woochan plans to take what he learned from this program back home to Busan. The program provided him with the tools for greater leadership roles that cadet life often requires.

Dr. Tony Brown, Associate Director and professor within the exchange program, reported that he enjoys the diversity that the South Korean cadets brought into the classroom and admires their bravery to pursue greater leadership skills. “What we in the Hollingsworth Center have intentionally done is try to expose them to a style of classroom teaching and learning that we know is different than what they usually experience at home,” Dr. Brown explained. “So we have taken great pride in those facilitated dialogues letting them participate in creating the knowledge that they leave here with.”

Dr. Brown, and the remainder of the faculty, focused on preparing the South Korean cadets for authentic leadership. Through curriculum and interactions within the classroom, they wanted the cadets to have the opportunity to know exactly who they were as individuals and how much potential there was for growth. “We got them engaged in talking with each other as well as with us, the instructors, as quickly as we possibly could,” Dr. Brown informed. “We wanted them to know that we were genuinely interested in their thoughts along with what their aspirations, dreams, or intentions were in pursuit of their life and journey of development.”

According to Dr. Brown, the South Korean cadets that visited the university will commission into the military. Knowing this, he emphasized the importance of appreciation for one another because of a greater picture that exists when serving their country. “We wanted them to begin thinking about how they may be representing different universities and colleges, but they will be simultaneously commissioning into the very same army,” he explained. “We wanted to facilitate the development of some appreciation for each other while they were here.”

Dr. Brown was amazed at the progress and initiative he saw from the South Korean cadets. In fact, he shared that it is a joy to see these cadets be willing to share their experiences and thoughts in regards to their time here in Texas. Several South Korean cadets expressed their interest in how Texas A&M is a university with students who are aware of and have respect for the values of each individual. “In our interactions we put a lot of time in on the exploration of both personal and organizational values because we talk a lot about values based leadership,” he shared. “We also talked about servant leadership, and it’s fascinating to me to see the immediate affinity that the South Korean delegation will have for servant leadership.” He observed that the South Korean cadets were eager to learn, determined to grow, and persistent in engagement. Dr. Brown hopes to receive feedback from former cadets who have participated in this opportunity to document just how long this program leaves an impact on their growth as leaders.

Beyond the leadership courses, the South Korean cadets also experienced activities such as the Obstacle Course, Ropes Challenge Course, sporting events, and MSC Student Conference on National Affairs presentations and pass in review. Additionally, the cadets took various field trips focusing on the DIME model which consists of Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic aspects of national power. These trips included a visit with Korean Consulate and NASA in Houston, an Alamo tour in San Antonio, and a State Capitol tour in Austin as well as a visit to Ft. Hood. These trips provided the South Korean cadets with exposure to additional Texas history and culture.

The ROTC Leadership Program serves to accompany each cadet in their pursuit for greater success and development. This program equips and encourages the leaders of tomorrow to better serve their country.

 

Last week was truly a historic one for Texas A&M University and the Corps of Cadets. President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest at the George Bush Library on the Texas A&M campus last Thursday, and among literally thousands of people who gathered to bid farewell to our 41st President, the Corps of Cadets stood front and center and played an integral role in the entire ceremony.

The cadets were involved from the time the train carrying President Bush and his family arrived at College Station, with the Ross Volunteers and Aggie Band standing by the train to welcome them to

Aggieland and to render honors for our 41st President. As the Ross Volunteers solemnly saluted the casket as it was removed from the train, the Aggie Band played “Hail to the Chief,” followed by “The Aggie War Hymn” as the casket was carried to the hearse. Once the funeral motorcade left the train site for the burial site, the entire Corps of Cadets stood at attention and saluted as the procession drove along Barbara Bush Drive to President Bush’s final resting place at the Bush Library.