Western Michigan University Army ROTC

05/13/2024

Hello Bronco Nation! Save the Date for our All-Call Military Ball Feb 15, 2025! We have sent an email blast with the save the date. If you did not get an email (check your spam) please email us at [email protected] so we can update our distro list.
This invitation is for every ROTC Alum, Past Cadre, Friends and Family of the Bronco Battalion. Hope to see you all there! We will send out invites in October with event location, pricing, and other info.

04/26/2024

Spring 2024 Bronco Battalion Commissioning

04/22/2024

The countdown to commissioning has begun! Congratulations to our 10 seniors from 🎉

04/18/2024

Lab 27: Awards Lab
Congratulations to all of our cadets who received awards for clubs, academics, and leadership excellence. Broncos Lead The Way!

04/16/2024

Discover your leadership style. Explore ROTC.
Challenge yourself. Make instant friends all at the ROTC Summer Leadership Camp! Open to all high school aged students and incoming college students.
When: August 5-7, 2024
Where: WMU Campus and Fort Custer Training
Center

🔗for more info, link in bio!

04/14/2024

Cadet Spotlight📣: Matthew Schneck

Cadet Schneck is an MS4 studying Political Science at WMU. His involvement in the BN as a member of cannon crew, color guard, run club, and our current Battalion Commander has made him stand out among his peers!

Why did you join Army ROTC? And what are your plans for your Army career?
“Joining the Army has always been a goal of mine. I wanted to enlist out of high school, but also wanted to get a college education. By doing ROTC, I was able to do both. I ended up enlisting in the National Guard during my sophomore year of college to gain more experience. I am going to commission this month into the Transportation Corps and I'm going to BOLC next month. I’m incredibly excited to gain more knowledge and start my career in the United States Army.”

What, or who, motivates you as a leader?
“I’ve had many great mentors in my life who have taught me things about jobs and life. I want to be able to be that mentor to someone and pass on the knowledge I was given.”

What opportunities has ROTC opened for you since joining?
“Through ROTC I have been able to gain a lot of valuable leadership experience which will not only help me in my Army career but also in my everyday life. I’ve also learned to look at the bigger picture in complex situations which helps to bring a solution. Joining ROTC has also given me many opportunities to go and train in new environments and learn a variety of different skills I would have never learned elsewhere.”

Why did you Decide to Lead?
“I decided to lead because I believe I can make an impact on the soldiers around me. By learning from the best cadre in Cadet Command, I could see firsthand what a great leader looks like. Each person has their own leadership style that works for them. And from watching them, I am starting to learn my own way to lead. Because of this, I am more confident in my leadership abilities and want to have an impact on others.”

04/08/2024

Let’s talk about our Mentorship Program🤝

“My name is c/1LT Oja, and I am the OIC of the mentorship program. With this program, the MS3/4 act as mentors and teachers for the MS1/2. If the underclassman have any conflicts or want to learn more about ROTC, they can reach out to their mentor, and it is his/her job to assist them learn and be their best self. This program also gives the upperclassmen a taste of mentorship since PLs in the Army are mentors to their entire platoon.”

04/06/2024

2024 Drew Russell Memorial Run🏃🏃‍♀️

Thank you to everyone who participated this year! And congratulations to the Drew Russell Scholarship recipient CDT Hayes!

04/04/2024

The Alpha Co 1SG grants the most motivated, present, and outstanding cadet of the week a WWE belt! Congrats CDT Suender!

04/03/2024

Take a look at some stats from our 74th year!

#🎂 7th Brigade ROTC U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC)

04/02/2024

The Bronco Newsletter: March Edition is out!

7th Brigade ROTC U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC)

03/27/2024

The Alpha Co 1SG grants the most motivated, present, and outstanding cadet of the week a WWE belt! Congrats CDT Finstrom!

03/26/2024

Save the Date🗓️
Honor, tradition and camaraderie await at our Military Ball. Join us for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate our 75th anniversary!

7th Brigade ROTC WMU Army ROTC Alumni U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC) WMU Alumni Association

03/18/2024

18.6 miles • 25lb rucks • 14:30 pace

These Bronco cadets tested their mental and physical limits by participating in The Norwegian Foot March!
Thank you to our friends at BGSU ARMY FFB ROTC for putting on a great event!

03/16/2024

Look at those hairstyles…strong women, strong hair!
Here are 7 ways women in the military can take care of their hair💈👱

Wear hair in protective styles, such as cornrows or twists
Wear french braids instead of using a ton of gel
Use hair oils as a gel substitute
Wear hair down to limit the amount hair is pulled back
Limit the number of times the hair is washed
Using deep conditioners or hair masks
Limit the amount of chemicals and heat used on the hair

03/15/2024

Today is the LAST day to be guaranteed a shirt with your sign up for the Drew Russell Memorial Run!

🔗Sign up with the link in bio!

03/15/2024

Congratulations to our newest contracted cadet, Ledora Pena! She’s an MS2 currently studying nursing!

03/13/2024

📣Cadet Spotlight: Everett Phipps

Cadet Phipps is a MS1 at WMU. He is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and is majoring in History and minoring in Medieval Studies. Cadet Phipps has demonstrated an excellent spirit and exciting drive to achieve great things. We look forward to watching him grow as a leader and can’t wait to see what is in store for his military career!

Why did you join Army ROTC? And what are your plans for your Army career?
“I joined army ROTC to gain leadership skills that I can apply to my everyday life. My goal is to become a military intelligence officer.”

What, or who, motivates you to lead?
“What motivates me as a leader is watching my peers work hard to accomplish goals, especially when it is a similar goal to mine—it motivates me to be better”

How do you manage ROTC and your other college commitments?
“Managing my academics, clubs, and ROTC can be challenging, but ROTC itself helps me by maintaining the discipline I need to be on top of everything.”

Why did you Decide to Lead?
“I decided to lead because I know I can make a difference in my work life and as an Army Officer with good leadership skills and experience.”

03/11/2024

Military Ball 2024

📸 Good Ash Studios
🔗 Photo link in bio

03/10/2024

Welcome back Broncos! Here are 6 things our cadets did over spring break!

CDT Forrest visited friends in CA
An Advanced Criminology class took CDT Vassalotti to the Netherlands
Enemies were defeated in a heated Lazer Tag game by CDTs Chama, McNees, Kipp, Ononiwu, Suender, and Theobald
CDT Ploucha visited friends in London at the Royal Air Force base Lakenheath
Both CDT Kings took a tour of the White House
CDT Hillman’s unit trained at the trauma center at UChicago Medicine with COL Kenneth Wilson, the Professor of Surgery at the University who specializes in the trauma department

03/08/2024

Take a look at these firsts for the women of Bronco Battalion🐴🪖

September 1972 - Women were allowed to join Army ROTC in the U.S.

1973-74 - Bronco Battalion underwent major changes and women were admitted into the program.

January 1974 - Cadet Cynthia Gonyea (of WMU ROTC) became the first female cadet Commander of an ROTC unit on any U.S. college campus.

October 1991 - Tennie Williams became the first female African American cadet Commander of Bronco BN.

2017 - COL (Ret.) Kattiria Walker, class of 1990, became the first female officer inducted into the WMU ROTC Wall of Fame.

2022 - LTC Caitlin Hinterman becomes the first female Professor of Military Science in Bronco BN history.

Continue scrolling to see some of the women of current Bronco BN!

03/07/2024

SSG Thompson represents Bronco BN at the 2024 Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year competition!

03/06/2024

"Goal-getter!" 🌟 MS1 CDT Ryan Arne is a lacrosse recruit from Calvin University. He double majors in business entrepreneurship and psychology!

“I started playing lacrosse in 3rd grade after learning about my Dad’s lacrosse experience’s in high school and at MSU. From the start I loved everything about lacrosse; the intensity, the physicality, the strategy, and especially the teamwork that it required. I played all through elementary school, middle school, and right before high school I joined a club team. I absolutely loved the teamwork and leadership that came with playing in high school and after that I knew I wanted to play in college to continue building that kind of work ethic and teamwork. I was so ecstatic after getting recruited to play at Calvin and to be apart of another team and family. So far playing at Calvin has been one of the best times of my life. “

03/01/2024

It’s Women’s History Month!

Check out this article on our very own PMS, LTC Hinterman!

7th Brigade ROTC U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC)

Davison native Caitlin Hinterman has had an exciting life during her career with the U.S. Army Reserve. She recently obtained a very high honor when she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and is currently serving as the Aide de Camp to four-star General Jacqueline Van Ovost. A graduate of Davison Hi...

03/01/2024

The Bronco Newsletter: February Edition is out!

02/29/2024

CDT Tolan represented Bronco Battalion at the George C. Marshall seminar this past week at Fort Knox.

Along with his commitment to the program and his leadership ability, CDT Tolan is a top ACFT performing cadet, Dean’s list student, and the Ranger Commander for the Bronco club Western Ranger Organization! He was selected out of nearly 300 cadets from across the country! This year’s seminar focused on “Strengthening the Profession” emphasizing on the importance of written discourse to improve our professional expertise.

Broncos Lead the Way!

02/28/2024

📣Cadet Spotlight: Ethan Sikora

Cadet Sikora is a MS1 over at GVSU. He is from Belleville, Michigan and is majoring in Electrical Engineering. His willingness to learn makes him stand out amongst his peers. He is always eager to learn more.

Why did you join Army ROTC? And what are your plans for your Army career?
“I joined Army ROTC because I simply want to become the best version of myself I possibly can. I believe that through ROTC I can grow to become a strong leader wherever my future takes me. In the Army, I intend to do engineering or transportation.”

What, or who, motivates you as a leader?
“My biggest motivators have been my instructors, teachers, and coaches throughout the years. Their stories of success and failure motivate me to continue to push myself.”

How do you manage ROTC and your other college commitments?
“Managing ROTC can be hard especially with GVSU’s unique engineering program but overall it isn’t bad but I know later years will bring new challenges.”

Why did you Decide to Lead?
“I decided to lead to be the best I can be while helping others grow as much as I can.”

02/23/2024

CDTs Washington and Agyei led the way as the PLs for this weeks lab: PLT Ambush STX!

02/22/2024

We bid farewell to Captain Brandon Torres at Bronco BN.
- BN Plans Officer
- BN MS3 Instructor

Captain Torres has been a professor at WMU ROTC for the past two years. Recently, he had the opportunity to join the Army Acquisition Corps where he will be in SIA and as the Program Executive Officer in Alabama at Redstone Arsenal to help work on missiles and space related projects. Cadets, cadre, and Bronco staff are grateful for his contribution to the ROTC program, and are wishing him the best on his next endeavors. Broncos lead the way!

02/19/2024

Meet Bronco Alum 1LT Ian Kosaka

1LT Kosaka grew up in Novi, MI and graduated from WMU in 2020. He commissioned into the Chemical Corps. He served as a Hazard Assessment Platoon Leader before his platoon was reorganized into Heavy Decontamination Platoon. He is currently serving as the Plans Officer in the Battalion 3 shop and will be attending the Marine Expeditionary Warfare School later this year.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a leader?
“Biggest challenge I’ve faced as a leader was when one of the soldiers in the company died in a training accident the first month of my PL time. It immediately put the gravity of my role into perspective.”

What is your favorite ROTC memory?
“Training with WRO and some of the FTXs I went out with them on are some of my greatest memories of my time at WMU. Now that I’ve been a staff officer for awhile, a field problem like that would be a treat. I always had a lot to learn from the excellent cadre that we invited out to help us train.”

What are some accomplishments you’d like to share?
“While I’ve been here in Korea, I’ve gotten to train multiple times with the ROK Army. My platoon was recognized for having the highest readiness rating in the Brigade by 2ID. In the last 16 out of 19 months I was a PL, I had zero soldiers on ABCP and a platoon ACFT average of over 500. Not bad for a heavy decontamination platoon! My platoon never lost a Company PT event the entire time I was there.”