Stillwater ROTC unit meets requirements to become Army Reserve unit

<br>STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ A Stillwater-based ROTC unit has met the requirements to become the nation's latest full-status Army Reserve unit. <br><br>The 8th Brigade ROTC unit has been provisional

Thursday, November 1st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ A Stillwater-based ROTC unit has met the requirements to become the nation's latest full-status Army Reserve unit.

The 8th Brigade ROTC unit has been provisional for about three years. It is composed of reservists who instruct ROTC students.

While some attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., or go to Officer Candidate School, most Army officers are trained in ROTC units, said Michael Dean, spokesman for the 95th Division, the parent unit of the brigade.

``The Army is entrusting reservists to train their future officer corps,'' Dean said. ``I think it speaks pretty highly for the quality of training that we've been providing the ROTC program for the past three years.''

About 18 reservists from Oklahoma teach University of Central Oklahoma and Rose State College students, or accompany them to summer camps in Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Lewis, Wash., Dean said.

The brigade has about 50 reservists in 10 schools spread across Nebraska, Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma, said Michele Boback, staff administrative assistant for the 8th Brigade.

Reservists teach sophomores and freshmen the basics of the Army in military science 1 and 2 classes. In exchange for teaching the course once a week for a semester, the reservists do not have to attend the monthly drill exercises.

Instructors must first go through a screening process and then a two-week school. Then they must be re-certified periodically to meet Army regulations. Using reservists for those positions helps the Army as well, Dean said.

The brigade will celebrate Sunday morning with an activation ceremony at the Army Reserve Center in Stillwater.