Colorado NROTC Participates in Leadership Reaction Course

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (NNS) -- Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) midshipmen from the University of Colorado Boulder participated in a Leadership Reaction Course (LRC) at the Air Force Academy's Jack's Valley training complex, March 17.

Colorado used the training facility to place midshipmen in challenging situations and force them to take on complex problems as a team. The events consisted of moving different objects through obstacles, memory recall, endurance challenges and communication skills.

"The LRC was a great time because it showed me some of my weaknesses in leadership and communication," said Midshipman 4th Class James Reynolds. "I really think this will help me become a better officer.

"The LRC fostered a chaotic, open-minded environment that forced the participants to make decisive, bold and timely decisions in the face of adversity and an unknown timeline," said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Ronald Lienhardt, staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge for the event. "I wanted to help the midshipmen recognize that 'good enough' is rarely 'good enough', and be smart and experienced enough to recognize when the status quo needs to be challenged, while also recognizing when changing things for the sake of changing them is unnecessary."

There were eight total squads of midshipmen that rotated between the events. Each time, a different student in the squad was placed in the squad leader role. Their responsibility was to receive the brief about the restrictions and goal for the event and then relay it to their squad. Once they began, the squad leader gave directions on which ways to approach the problem and how each person would contribute.

"I know that a lot of midshipmen were anxious going into the event, but when it was all over I saw a bunch of big, tired smiles," said Navy Cmdr. Walt Morgan, executive officer of the unit. "I think a lot of the students learned something about themselves today and that we emerged as a tighter knit battalion."

The staf and senior students with the unit organized and executed the daylong event.

The NROTC program, overseen by Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, and loyalty, and with the core values of honor, courage and commitment, in order to commission college graduates as Naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the Naval service, and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

For more information about NROTC, visit https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/. For more information about NSTC, visit http://www1.netc.navy.mil/nstc/.

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For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.