Admiral Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples, visited The Citadel today to speak to students about leadership and current Naval Fleet status.

Fitzgerald is a Naval aviator with more than 30 years of service, more than 4,800 flight hours and more than 1,100 carrier landings from the decks of 13 aircraft carriers. He led the first Navy strike on Baghdad during the opening hour of Operation Desert Storm and has held command from the squadron to the wing level.As commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe he is responsible for providing overall command, operational control, and coordination of U.S. Naval Forces in the European Command area of responsibility.

As commander of Allied Joint Force Command he currently has operational responsibility for NATO missions in the Balkans, Iraq, and the Mediterranean. Admiral Fitzgerald talked about his definition of success and how he navigated through a long and distinguished Navy career.

This past weekend the Unit completed a series of training exercises with various ship platforms.  On Thursday the Unit received a submarine briefing from the Commanding Officer of the USS Pennsylvania Blue Crew.  This session allowed Midshipmen to ask questions about life onboard submarine and the different types of submarine missions.  On Friday the Unit held an evening social with the Officers of the USS Vicksburg, USS Thunderbolt, and the USS Squall.  Also in attendance were members from the local Charleston Navy League and the Naval Weapons Station.

On Saturday seniors and freshmen boarded the USS Vicksburg and completed a series of tactical exercises with the crew.  Freshman started the day with an in depth ship tour followed by chow and tactical operation observations.  The seniors actually took the watch as under instruction watch standers and completed various tactical evolutions to learn how to the defend the ship.

Sophomores boarded the two Naval Patrol Crafts USS Squall and USS Thunderbolt.  These vessels actually went out to sea and conducted man overboard evolution where the Midshipmen actually drove the ship. They also completed restricted maneuvering evolutions with high sailing traffic in the channel.   This was an extremely challenging and exciting evolution for the Midshipmen who are currently taking the Naval Navigation courses.

Juniors completed sailing operations as part of the Skipper B qualification. They were graced with great weather for sailing which helped make this evolution both educational and pleasurable.

 

    On March 3, 2008 The Citadel approved the request for Active Duty students to be considered for Priority Registration privileges. This will allow all active duty students to register for future semester classes before the rest of the Corps of Cadets. This enables Active Duty students to pick out the class sections they need to ensure they have the opportunity to complete their degree within their service requirements. Active Duty students can commence registration for Fall 2008 on March 31, 2008.    This is another benefit for Active Duty students to choose The Citadel to earn their undergraduate degree and also earn a commission in their selective service.

This week the Unit completed two successful Physical Training sessions designed to ensure that all members of the battalion achieve at least a GOOD HIGH overall on the Navy Physical Readiness Test. For this week’s lab period the Unit received a Nuclear Power briefing by Captain Daseler, the NROTC Nuclear Officer Recruiter. Captain Daseler briefed the Unit on what it takes to be a Nuclear Officer and also proved that as long as you are willing to work hard in college and in training, anyone could be a Nuclear Officer. Earlier in the day Captain Daseler had lunch with Midshipmen and Officer Candidates who are interested in joining the Nuclear Navy. The Captain’s visit was a great opportunity for Midshipmen and Officer Candidates to ask questions about the fleet and current fleet expectations.

The Unit had two Officer Candidates travel to Washington D.C. this week for their Nuclear Officer interview with Naval Reactors (NAVSEA 08). Congratulations to both of the candidates for their selection to the Submarine Force!

For more information on the Submarine and Nuclear Surface Warfare Communities please click on the NROTC Scholarship Link on the Blogroll and select the community you are interested in.

Starting Fall 2008 The Citadel will be granting scholarships to all active duty NROTC students. The scholarship consists of $500 for the Fall Semester and another $500 for the Spring Semester. This scholarship is designed to help active duty students with the cost of tuition and books. Active Duty Students play a vital role in The Citadel community as mentors, trainers, and as experienced Sailors and Marines to answer questions for cadets interested in serving as a Navy or Marine Corps Officer. The prospective Active Duty Students bring to the NROTC Unit is priceless and this scholarship is designed to ensure that The Citadel remains one of the top selected colleges of active duty students entering college via a variety of enlisted commissioning programs (STA-21, MECEP).The Citadel is a great academic environment for sailors and marines who have proven that they are ready to take their career to the next level. The NROTC Unit has a great track record of producing high quality Officers to lead sailors and Marine in the fleet. If you have any further questions about The Citadel or the active duty program please refer The Citadel link on this page.

The NROTC Tweeddale Scholarship Program provides a vehicle to recruit and access students majoring in specific technical majors to meet Navy goals.The Professor of Naval Science at The Citadel is considering competitive applicants majoring in Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics. The Tweeddale scholarship is a two or three year NROTC scholarship that provides the following benefits:

• All Tuition.
• Books and Fees.
• A monthly allowance of $350.

Students from The Citadel are eligible if they meet the following criteria:

• Must have completed at least one, but not more than four academic terms of college course work with Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
• Must be majoring in Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry, or Physics.
• A “C” or better is all college level courses attempted.

Other eligibility criteria apply.If you are interested, please contact NROTCU The Citadel at 843-953-5182 or email navycruise@citadel.edu.

This week at the Unit Midshipmen and Officer Candidates completed a 3 mile battalion run, a mock PRT, and Battalion Training. The training for the Navy Battalion is divided into three sections.

The first section consists of freshman and sophomore midshipmen who are taught day-to-day occupational knowledge and skill requirements. This program is designed to ensure that Midshipmen enter the fleet with the knowledge necessary to complete normal daily tasks that are not normally taught in a classroom. The Instructor for this course is a Senior Officer Candidate who provides a sense of experience and is able to answer questions about the Navy for the Midshipmen. This week’s lesson is on Safety and Hazardous Material Control.

The second section is held for Junior Midshipmen. This section is focused on training midshipmen for their Skipper B Sailing qualification. This course focuses on basic seamanship, navigation, and an actual sailing practical. All Midshipmen are required to qualify Skipper B before earning their Commission. This week these sailors took the South Carolina Boating exam.

The third section is held for Senior Midshipmen and Officer Candidates. This course focuses on Strategic and Tactical procedure for all naval platforms. This course prepares Midshipmen and Officer Candidates for the fleet and is designed to ensure that Citadel Navy Officers are ahead of the game in managing systems vital to fleet operations.

 

This August, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) will be holding its selection board for Midshipmen to attend Medical and Dental school after they have completed their undergraduate education.

If you are a Junior midshipman who will be commissioning in the USN or USMC in Fiscal Year 2009 and you wish to attend medical school after graduating, you should begin your preparations now.

NSTC will select a limited number of midshipmen to attend medical school or dental school under the HPSP and USUHS programs. For an applicant to be considered competitive and subsequently accepted, the midshipmen should have a minimum GPA of 3.5 (with a STRONG emphasis in calculus, physics, biology, and chemistry) and high Medical College Aptitude Test (MCAT) or Dental Admission Test Program (DAT) scores.

Applications are due to NSTC in June.

Any interested applicant should inform their NROTC Academic Advisor ASAP. Deadlines for both the MCAT and DAT are quickly approaching.

Marine Option midshipmen may be considered for the program, but only if the Command General, Marine Corps Recruiting Command authorizes participation. See your advisor for more information.

Reference for this program is CNSTCINST 1533.2 and Official Mail Message #015-08.