Santa Clara University Biology Major Named Top Cadet at Warrior Forge Training for Future Army Officers
SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 22 --- Biology major and incoming senior Benny Tran was honored as the top cadet in his regiment at the Leader Development and Assessment Course in Ft. Lewis, Wash., earlier this summer. Tran was among thousands of Army ROTC students training and testing at the 29-day program required for cadets to become Army lieutenants.
(Media-Newswire.com) - SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 22 --- Biology major and incoming senior Benny Tran was honored as the top cadet in his regiment at the Leader Development and Assessment Course in Ft. Lewis, Wash., earlier this summer. Tran was among thousands of Army ROTC students training and testing at the 29-day program required for cadets to become Army lieutenants.
A biology major with a biomedical emphasis, Tran earned the top spot from among 400 other cadets in his regiment during training, which is also known as Operation Warrior Forge. Being recognized as the top performer in a regiment is a significant achievement and places Tran among the top Army ROTC cadets in the nation.
Thirteen other SCU students also took part in the Warrior Forge training, which is the Army ROTC’s capstone training and assessment exercise. Cadets at Warrior Forge are tested on their physical stamina, endurance, ability to navigate over difficult terrain, and their team-building and leadership skills.
Tran, who will be a senior this Fall, received his award at a regimental graduation ceremony earlier this summer.
Thousands of college students from around the globe converge at Fort Lewis each summer to attend the course. Successful completion of this rigorous training is a prerequisite for becoming commissioned as a U.S. Army lieutenant.
Tran, via e-mail from South Korea where he is doing Cadet Leadership Training, said SCU’s ROTC program has “allowed me to do a lot of cool things,’’ such as rappelling, rifle marksmanship, Ranger challenge competitions, and riding on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
He volunteered for Airborne School last summer, training to jump from a C-130 at 1,250 feet. Last year he was part of the “heavy team” in the Bataan Memorial Death March marathon at White Sands, NM, completing the marathon with army combat uniform, boots, 35-pound rucksack and water. This year he was captain of the “light team,” which took third place.
After graduation Tran will commission as a second lieutenant in the Army, and complete a Basic Officer Leadership Course to lead his unit.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its 8,758 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.
This story was released on 2009-07-24. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.