|
Sitting on his grandmother’s sewing room floor drawing tactical
maneuvers on a piece of paper, Richard Whittemore was only two years
old when he realized he was going to be a U.S. military officer.
“You know Ricky, I don’t want you to be in the Army,” said
Whittemore’s grandmother. “It’s okay grandma. I’m going to be an
officer,” Whittemore replied. “I don’t know how I knew it, but ever
since then … it’s always been my direction.”
|
April 8, 2017 - Cadet Richard Whittemore (bottom left) leads 1st squad, 2nd
Platoon during tactical lanes at the Joint Field Training Exercise
hosted by Northern Arizona University at Camp Navaho Training Center
near Flagstaff, Arizona. Whittemore is joined by approximately 200
other cadets from six univeristies throughout Arizona and New Mexico
to test their knowledge gained during ROTC. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Richard Hoppe)
|
Originally from New Mexico, Whittemore took his first
role in preparing to become an officer by joining the Junior
Reserve Officer Training Corps, a program offered to high
school students interested in a military career. Soon after,
at 17 years old, Whittemore enlisted in the Army National
Guard and served with the Recruit Sustainment Program, an
Army National Guard program that introduces new recruits to
Army fundamentals, for a year until he could attend Army
Basic Combat Training.
After completing basic
training, Whittemore spent the next few years focusing on
his military training and pursuing some of the academic
benefits the National Guard has to offer. He said his time
as an enlisted Soldier will reflect in his ability to lead
Soldiers during his career as an officer.
“I’ve been
to Basic Training, Advanced Infantry Training and [Basic
Leader Course], so I think knowing the trains of thought of
both an officer and enlisted, I can try to make better
decisions in the future.”
Currently, at the Northern
Arizona University hosted Joint Field Training Exercise at
Camp Navajo Training Center near Flagstaff, Arizona,
Whittemore is living up to the internal directives set forth
nearly 20 years ago, and making waves that could carry him
through to his goals.
“Whittemore is doing extremely
well,” said Capt. Christopher Triem, assistant professor of
Military Science at NAU and National Guard Liaison. “He’s
[among] the top of his class at Northern Arizona
University.”
Not only has Whittemore made an
impression on his leadership and cadre, his tenacity
reflected in his efforts during the training exercise at
Camp Navajo as he led 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon through
tactical events. His hard work and knowledge have also
gained the attention and support of his fellow cadets.
“He’s always been the one to [go to] for help. He’s
really book-smart with Army regulations … so when it comes
to tactics I can ask him about that,” said Cadet Martin
Cornidez, who is serving in both the Arizona Air National
Guard and NAU ROTC along-side Whittemore. “I notice a lot of
people will go to him too. All around, he’s a well-shaped
cadet. He does [well] in the National Guard and here too
with the ROTC.”
Whittemore attends NAU full time,
studying sociology and psychology with the help of his
National Guard scholarship, which affords him the
opportunity to focus on his academics. He has approximately
one year left before his expected graduation date, at which
time he will pick up his commission and fulfill his longtime
goal of becoming an Army officer.
The Arizona Army
National Guard, NAU ROTC and universities throughout the
state have all come together to play an essential role in
preparing Whittemore, and others like him, to attain their
goals, answer their country’s call, and lead American
Soldiers for generations to come.
“I plan to stick
with the Army, either in the Guard or continue on through
active [Army],” Whittemore said. “It really depends on how
the winds shift later in my career.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Richard Hoppe
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
Comment on this article |
