Program offers the ‘best’

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

John Reeves is a member of the ROTC at the Baylor University campus. � Staff photo by Poehl

Feb. 9, 2006 - Have you heard the phrase “Simply the Best” and then thought about becoming just that?

There is a program called Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and it is run by the U.S. Air Force to prepare young people for military leadership.

In Central Texas, one of the ROTC programs is conducted at Baylor University, and John Reeves, an 18-year-old freshman student there, is a member.

�ROTC is a program for building future officers of the Air Force,� said John Reeves of Copperas Cove.

Reeves said he joined the ROTC because his father was in the ROTC at Texas A&M University.

�My dad told me all about the ROTC and what it taught him. He made it seem fun and worthwhile,� Reeves said. �I found out Baylor had the ROTC, so I signed up for the classes.�

Reeves’ father served as a tanker in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armor Division. 

Once an ROTC student completes all four years in the ROTC program, they must serve in the military for four years.

Right now, Reeves is taking the beginning ROTC course, called Freshman AS 100. In this course, students “learn how the Air Force is run,“ Reeves said. “We also learn the history of it and the different values.“

Baylor has 130 students, both male and female, involved in the ROTC program. And, in 2003, the Baylor ROTC was selected as the number one detachment in the southwestern United States. The group proved they were “Simply the Best.”

Reeves said he looks forward to one day serving his country in the Air Force. 

Before joining ROTC, he gained some good experience through Boy Scouts. Reeves is an Eagle Scout in Copperas Cove, and he often joins in the activities of his Boy Scout troop. Plus, he said he enjoys reading and playing sports. He participates in intramural sports and he is on the Hall Leadership Team in his dormitory, Penland, where he meets with the hall leader and plans activities for his fellow hall mates.

Reeves encourages kids to be involved in organized sports, and clubs, and for young people to think about joining ROTC. “I think it’s great being involved with the ROTC because it helps you build your character. It teaches you that you can do things the right way and get things done efficiently.”