As the country braces for war, the Pepperdine community steps forward to serve its country in many different ways.
By JJ Bowman
News Editor
It’s hard to put faces on numbers after a certain point. Few can comprehend a number like 125,000, which is the amount of troops the United States has deployed to the Persian Gulf since December.
When reduced to a smaller size, such as five – the number of Pepperdine students committed to service in the ROTC – it becomes much easier to put faces on statistics.
And when the size reduces to one, the number of children Dr. Roy Adler has preparing to go overseas and fight in the war against terrorism, the reality becomes all too clear.
Around Pepperdine, the war against terrorism is becoming less about statistics and more about faces.
Sophomore Kimberly King said she joined ROTC through Pepperdine for several reasons, including scholarship opportunities and because she grew up in a military town.
“(The military) will help you in almost anything,” she said. “It’s a pretty good deal.”
With the economy still suffering and the post-college job market as competitive as ever, the military is one of the few sectors where employment opportunities abound, particularly for those with technical majors such as math, computer science, chemistry or engineering, according to Capt. Paul Graddon, Detachment 040 recruiter for the Air Force ROTC at Loyola Marymount University.
King said she is being recruited to go into dietetics and is pleased with the job security offered by the Air Force.
“A bachelor’s degree doesn’t seem to be enough anymore,” she said. “(With ROTC) you’re guaranteed a job.”
Along with King, Pepperdine students Loriana Guidi, Jami Lambert, Monica Pharaoh and Christopher Nehls venture to LMU every Friday and participate in the Air Force ROTC program.
The students must complete two physical fitness tests each semester, where the females must be able to complete a 1.5-mile run in at least 14.5 minutes, 19 push-ups in two minutes and 53 sit-ups in two minutes.
Males must complete their 1.5-mile run in 10.5 minutes and then they have two minutes to complete 46 push-ups and another two for 53 sit-ups.
“In October I could not do one push-up,” Pharaoh said, a freshman bio-chemistry major.
Now, she said she can complete 20 to 25 in two minutes.
Increasing her physical strength was one of the chief reasons Pharaoh chose to join Air Force ROTC. Beyond a physical improvement, she also said she has become stronger and more confident in her communication skills.
During their weekly training, which lasts about five and a half hours, freshman and sophomore ROTC members spend an hour in class, while juniors and seniors study for three hours.
Class is followed by a two-hour leadership lab, where the cadets learn the customs of the military. They also must complete a 30-minute workout.
Each ROTC cadet must give back at least four years of active duty and four years of reserve duty after receiving a scholarship for school, which can range from a full-tuition scholarship to a few thousand dollars each semester.
Other jobs, such as pilot, require eight years of active duty followed by four years of reserve.
With King’s four-year degree and a year of internships to follow, she said she has at least five years of active service ahead, followed by four more of reserve duty.
Although King has a while before she will see active duty, the effects of the most recent military buildup are evident to her.
“A lot of my friends have been called up,” she said. “(War is) more a reality now.”
Pharaoh still has a while before she’ll see active duty. After graduation she plans on attending medical school. Thus she said she hasn’t thought much about the chances of her seeing war first hand.
Davidson Adler, a 2002 alumnus, will most likely see war soon. The 24-year old son of business professor Dr. Roy Adler is a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton in the 1st Marine Division. His unit was activated a year ago and he will probably be deployed, although no date has been set, Dr. Adler said.
Adler said he is pleased with his son’s choice to join the Marines.
“I would rather that he be on the beach in Malibu,” he said. “But he’s not. Pepperdine teaches service, he’s doing what Pepperdine teaches we should all be doing. …
“He feels very strongly about men and women of courage and character and the need to protect us against evil in the world,” he continued.
Besides the Air Force and Marines, other branches of the military offer programs to entice graduates into service.
The Army offers a student loan repayment program of up to $65,000 in return for a four-year commitment. They also offer the Montgomery GI Bill for students interested in pursuing a master’s degree, where $32,400 toward graduate school can be exchanged for service.
The Navy also offers a program to pay all four years of medical school, including books, equipment and $1,100 per month for expenses. Those who take that offer then must serve one-year active duty for each year of school paid for.
“We’re not looking for people to make a career out of (the military),” Navy Lt. Cmdr. Roshard Woolfolk said. Only 24 months of service, he continued, can make someone eligible for veteran’s benefits.
Woolfolk also said the Navy can offer immediate, challenging work for graduates.
“We’re going to give you a lot more responsibility early on (after graduation),” he said.
January 23, 2003