About Charlie Company ROTC
C Co. cadets are mostly students attending the University at Albany in Albany, New York.
We also have cadets training with us who are enrolled at nearby colleges,
such as the College of Saint Rose. If you walk around campus on a Thursday,
you're likely to see at least a few of us wearing ACUs (Army Combat uniforms --
the digital camouflage pattern) or the battalion's green t-shirt. On any other day,
we're hard to spot among the regular Albany crowd. Cadets attend classes,
hang out in the Campus Center, and do all the other stuff students do.
Some of us are prior service and have gone through basic training and maybe
have even deployed to a combat zone. Most of the company joins as a freshman
and takes a 4 year program. A few get involved a little later and attend an
Army Leadership course during the summer before their junior year to make up for
what they have missed. Some sophomores opt to 'compress' the first two years into
one year to keep their summer free. We have many options and just about anyone with
a neat haircut and a clean-shaven face on campus could be in ROTC and you wouldn't know it.
Cadet Burke MS1
I joined ROTC because I have always held myself to a higher standard than my peers throughout high school, athletics, and my work. I knew that the Army was for me because of the high standard of professionalism that comes with wearing the uniform. My favorite part of ROTC with Charlie Company is the friendships that I have developed so quickly and the competitive nature that we all share. The hard work that everyone puts in, and the positive motivation that everyone puts forth makes it easy to be motivated even when you aren't, and the competitive atmosphere is apparent in the first week. There are unique challenges that come with being a college student and making the commitment to your ROTC unit. Something that is stressed in your first Military Science class is time management. Time management comes in handy when you need to balance your school work, physical training, and any other various assignments that you get throughout the day. Mohawk battalion is among the best programs in Cadet Command and Charlie Company is compromised of the best cadets in the battalion. Train to lead.
Cadet Yoo MS2
My name is April Yoo and I am from Long Island, New York. I am currently a sophomore at SUNY Albany and studying biology with a minor in Women’s Studies.
I joined ROTC because I wanted something different and challenging; I wanted to experience what only 1% of the United States population experienced. Furthermore, I wanted to be a leader of that less than 1%. This program has given me challenges that have tried both my physical and my mental competencies, while at the same time giving me the training and development that I need to lead my peers. While taking classes by itself may be difficult, balancing classes and doing physical readiness training in the early morning has really shown me what I am capable of. I can say with absolute honesty that joining this program was one of the best decisions I made in my college career. The people that I associate with every day are some of the most passionate, creative, ambitious, and professional people that I know.
Cadet Somma MS3
I joined Army ROTC in the fall of 2011 because of previous experience with the Army. I served as a Sergeant in the Infantry on active duty with the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) 2-327th Infantry Regiment, C-Co. I served two tours in Iraq for the duration of OIF and OIF IV. After getting off of active duty I served in the reserves for a short time during Nursing School. After I became a Nurse, I decided to go back to school, and honestly missed the Army in so many ways I decided to seek out Army ROTC.
One of the things I like about Army ROTC is the team. The Cadets in ROTC interact, and conduct themselves in a manner that sets them apart from all other students on SUNY campus. They have a level of drive and professionalism that is superior to your average college student. The schedule of classes in combination with ROTC is pretty full, but also very fulfilling. At the end of every day there is a sense of accomplishment, duty, and honor. I would suggest to any student who has an interest in the program to seek it out to see if they are capable of becoming part of the Army ROTC Team, which in my opinion, is above all other organizations that you can be part of. If you give to ROTC, ROTC gives back to you.
