ROTC returns to UNLV

Dick Benoit

Thursday, March 23, 2000 | 10:07 a.m.

After a seven-year hiatus, Army ROTC is back on the UNLV campus -- 15 cadets are currently attending military science classes.

The College of Extended Studies serves as the UNLV administrative office of record for the students' University of Nevada, Reno, military science curriculum and classes taken will be accepted as credit toward UNLV degrees.

The cadets are majoring in subjects ranging from biology, nutrition and sports injury management to civil engineering, criminal justice and political science.

Reactivation of ROTC classes at UNLV is the result of a cooperative effort between UNR, the Community College of Southern Nevada and UNLV. UNR's Southern Nevada ROTC office is located at the Community College's West Charleston campus, where lower division military science courses are held. The five required upper division courses are given at UNLV.

The program is open to students at both CCSN and UNLV. For more information about the program, call the ROTC office at 651-5085.

Drill competition scheduled

The Clark County School District JROTC annual Drill Championships have been scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 30 at Cashman Field Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North. The public is invited.

Bonanza, Las Vegas, and Valley high schools' Army JROTC drill teams will compete with Chaparral, Clark and Eldorado high schools' Navy JROTC teams; Durango, Rancho and Western high schools' Air Force JROTC teams and Basic High School's Marine JROTC drill team. Three hundred cadets will participate in the event that features Color Guard, Unarmed and Armed Drill team competition.

The event includes five phases. Cadets must undergo uniform inspection and oral examination on chain of command and current events.

They must perform a set sequence of drill commands and a five- to seven-minute routine exhibition drill. One cadet from each school performs a rifle spinning, tossing and trick movement routine and all 300 cadets compete in a Mass Drill Down, during which cadets are eliminated by error until one remains.

For more information, call 799-5850, extension 268 or 269.

Dick Benoit covers individual and unit accomplishments of Southern Nevadans serving in the active duty and reserve armed forces. He can be reached at (702) 641-8664 or by e-mail at dickb@vegas.com.