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Greetings!
Can you
imagine running 9.11 Miles with a 35
pound ruck sack strapped to your
back?
That is exactly what 70 cadets from the Chicago Army ROTC - Fire
Battalion will be doing at 9:11 AM on Saturday September 11th
during our 3rd annual Freedom
Run.
The Fire Battalion teaches and re-enforces the Army values in all
they do, and because of the actions of the Cadre and Staff, and the
dedication of the Cadet Corps it's leadership is confident they
have the best ROTC Battalion in the Nation.
I hope you will be a part - as a volunteer or runner/walker - of
Chicagoland's most inspirational running event - being alongside
these great young Americans and others as we run to support and
thank our troops.
I had the opportunity to learn a bit about the Fire Battalion, it's
cadets and why they will be competing in our Freedom Run via an
email exchange with Captain Joe Sincere, U.S. Army. Read the
interview below and find out how this run is just
part of their training for their Ranger Challenge - an
annual event to test the physical and mental toughness of the ROTC
cadets.
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DUTY
To Commission The Best & The Brightest
9.11 Miles
To Train For The Ranger Challenge
Why is
participating in the Freedom Run important for the UIC Chicago Army
ROTC Fire Battalion?
 This event is near and dear to the Chicago Fire
Battalion as we continue to remember the events of September 11
2001. It is important as a part of our nations history to
honor those who gave their lives and to continue to tell the story
of American Resolve in our great country. Also to the men,
women, and their Families of the Armed Services who sacrifice as I
write this email, ensuring a safe and secure world for the
future.
The 9/11 Freedom Run is an outlet for our Cadets to tell their
story and show the American public, even in a time of war, we
continue to have young people willing to raise their right hand and
serve this great nation. I couldn't be more proud to work
in an organization that produces the future Leaders of the U.S.
Army.
Could you please tell us about -
give us a little background on your Battalion.?
The Fires Battalion serves Chicago as the primary Commissioning
source for the U.S. Army, Commissioning on average 30 Second
Lieutenants a year. The Battalion currently has approximately 240
Cadets enrolled in the program and our partnership/affiliation
schools include Loyola, Depaul, Northeastern Illinois University,
Northwestern, University of Chicago, Robert Morris University,
Xavier University, Illinois Institute of Tech, Chicago State,
Purdue, Indiana University-North and other affiliation schools in
Chicago.
What is the Ranger Challenge and
the teams that make it up?
Ranger Challenge is an annual event to test the physical and mental
toughness of ROTC Cadets. Try-outs are usually required to make
each team and each team consists of 5 or 9 members. Ranger
Challenge consists of several events and is held at the Illinois
National Guard's training facilities at Marseilles Training Area
(MTA).
Events
evaluated include - the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), Land
Navigation, 10K road March (run), one-rope bridge competition, US
Weapons, and the Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC).
At the end of competition, teams are awarded for best performance
and receive a trophy for their efforts. Every year, the Fire
Battalion strives to send one 9-cadet team from UIC, as well as
each partnership school in the program, in addition to an
all-female team.
During our Freedom Run we theme
each mile around one of the nine
values of our military - Loyalty,
Personal Courage, Integrity, Duty,
Commitment, Selfless Service,
Honor, Excellence and Respect. If we were
 to take one of these miles and its corresponding
value and hold it our as
the value to really have your
Battalion cadets in our mind, which value
would you choose and
why?
While I feel our Battalion, its Cadre, and Cadets exude each of
these values, I would state DUTY is one value that best describes
the Cadre and Corp of Cadets here in Chicago. I say this because
as an Army at war against tyranny and terrorism, we still find
young people in this country willing to stand up and serve with
distinction. Our Cadre, both Officers and NCO's have a tough job
of ensuring when a cadet Commissions, they make good decisions and
accomplish the missions they are tasked with. These
young Lieutenants will make decisions that have second and third
order effects with their Soldiers and Families everyday. It is
imperative we understand our DUTY to Commission the best and
brightest of their generation.
Join These DUTY Bound Young
Americans
Register Here to
run in Chicagoland's most inspirational running race and show that
you have what it takes to conquer either the 9.11 Mile or 4.5 Mile
course - with our without a 35 pound ruck sack!
And if you'd like to volunteer - let us know -
we'd love to have you!
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7th
Annual Family Freedom Festival
Bring the family to Chicagoland's
most meaningful one-day festival
Register Hereto
run in Chicagoland's most inspirational running race and show that
you have what it takes to conquer either the 9.11 Mile or 4.5 Mile
course.
And if you'd like to volunteer - let us know -
we'd love to have you!
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Looking
forward to seeing you on September 11th!
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Dirk Beveridge
President
We Do Care
PS: Take a look at this great 1:30
video - We Do Care Video
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