"GOLDEN HOLDEN" TRAINS WITH ARMY ELITE: CTLT TRAINING

By Claire Sherling
A BRIEF:
Beyond the Barracks is all about Marion Military Institute students and the amazing things they do outside of standard cadet life.  Our cadets are constantly on the go with sports, outdoor activities, extracurricular clubs and, of course, continuing training for their future careers.  The Army ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Course) cadets at MMI are probably the busiest of our student body during the summer, as they are all expected to report for further training.  This summer, many of our top ROTC cadets were selected for some of the most elite and exciting training offered at their level.  From jumping out of aircraft, to learning intelligence in Korea, to firing large artillery at West Point, it was an adventurous summer for many of our ROTC cadets.  To get a look into what it's like to be a future warrior, we sat down with some of the best of the best to learn about the training they received this summer.


THE STORY:

Holden (far left) with his squad at CLC training at Ft. Knox

Hands on experience is hands down, one of the greatest ways to learn and, even better is to do so in the shadow of men who have already paved the path which you seek.  This summer, one of MMI's rising leaders,  Mitchell Holden, earned the honor of shadowing Lieutenant Mainhart of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Ft. Bragg, home of the U.S. Army Airborne Force and Special Forces, as well as U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command.  Holden was attending Cadet Troop Leadership Training (CTLT), a training opportunity he selected after achieving the 6th place on the Order of Merit List (OML).  The OML is a system that ranks ROTC cadets based on academics, accomplishments in the field and during physical training (PT), a 12-km ruck march, APFT scores (the PT test scores), cadre counseling assessments, and much more.  Freshman and sophomore ROTC cadets at MMI are competing against juniors and seniors at other colleges, so the ranking is nothing to be disregarded.

"Usually, the top ten people get to choose where they go such as Airborne, Air Assault, CTLT, etc.," said Holden.  "I'm glad I went to CTLT...because I actually got more real life experience by shadowing a lieutenant every day.  I literally got to do what he was doing."

During Holden's advanced skills training, he earned the right to explore real-life scenarios, such as simulated air battles using radar.  His training was focused on air defense artillery, strategy, and tactics, putting him face-to-face with some of America's legendary counter-attack defense systems, including the Patriot Missile-- a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. 

Beyond the regular PT training, Holden was also able to participate in the lieutenant training on Wednesdays that included combatives, the Army's version of hand-to-hand combat without weapons that incorporates MMA fighting, Jujitsu, wrestling, and many other fighting techniques.

All of the training Holden completed over the month of CTLT and another month of Cadet Leadership Course (CLC) at Ft. Knox is pushing him further ahead towards his goal of becoming a helicopter pilot.  

"I want to be with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)," says Holden.  "My next step will hopefully be Auburn, now that I have passed my flight physical at Ft. Rucker to join Aviation and one day fly helicopters."  

"Golden Holden," as he's nicknamed, is on the right path to accomplishing his goal of becoming an Army helicopter pilot in one of the most elite regiments.  At MMI, he stands out as a leader as the ROTC S3, meaning that he is in charge of planning, coordinating, and executing ROTC training on a weekly basis.  He is also a leader amongst the Corps as the 1st Sergeant of Alpha Company.  Holden attributes a great deal of his success at the beginning of this semester to the specialized training he received this summer. 

"The CTLT training gives you the perspective of an actual active duty unit," says Holden. "It gives you the opportunity to come back [to MMI] and help everyone else within the ROTC Battalion to develop their skills [in hopes] of going active duty."  

We will continue to follow Holden's story as he advances through his career in the ROTC and hopefully one day as an Army pilot in the 160th SOAR.