Opportunities

Color Guard

The Murray State University Army ROTC Color Guard provides patriotic services for athletic competitions, graduation and commissioning activities, and select local community events. The team consists of 5-6 cadets who practice professional drill and ceremony techniques who represent top scholars with proven military performance. If interested, please contact the Military Science department. 

Airborne School

• Ground Training (week one)
  During ground training week, you begin an intensive program of instruction building individual skills designed to prepare you to make a parachute jump and land safely. The equipment your platoon will train on are the mock door, the 34 food tower, and the lateral drift apparatus. You must qualify on the tower, LDA, properly perform a parachute landing fall and pass all physical training requirements to proceed to tower week.
• Tower Training (week two)
  The individual skills learned during week one will be refined during tower week and a team effort of "mass exit" concept is added to the training. The apparatus used during this week are the swing landing trainer and the suspended harness. Week two completes the individual skill training and builds team effort skills. You must qualify on all training events and pass physical fitness requirements to proceed to week three.
• Jump Training (week three)
  This is it! The previous weeks of training have prepared you for this moment. If you are not ready to jump, you will not enter this phase. Week three is devoted to your five qualifying jumps. Before you make your first jump you will receive a review of malfunctions and aircraft orientation and be organized and manifested for the jump.  Unless restricted by lack of jump aircraft or weather, graduation is normally conducted on Friday of week three at the Airborne walk. Guests are welcome to observe jumps at Fryar Drop Zone, watch graduation, and participate in awarding the wings. On Friday morning, your company will out-process and following graduation you should be allowed to depart.

The U.S. Army Airborne school is located at Fort Benning, Georgia. This school is available to eligible cadets during winter and summer break.

Air Assault School

• Phase One: Combat Air Assault Operations
  During this phase you will conduct various training evolutions such as the rigorous obstacle course followed by a two mile run. You will be tested with written and practical exams. The practical exams will be on aircraft hand and arm signals. The written exams will cover material such as Army helicopter characteristics and capabilities, and medical evacuation procedures. You will also conduct PT, a four mile road march, and a combat air assault operation.
• Phase Two: Sling Load Operations
  Phase two is the most difficult phase of Air Assault. You will be tested on practical rigging and inspection of sling loads for utility and cargo helicopters. Written tests will follow in phase two. Written exams will be on paratrooper operations. Practical exams will be on inspections of various sling loads. You will participate in a live sling load operation during this phase.
• Phase Three: Rappelling
  Dring the rappelling phase you will be tested on tying the swiss seat in the standard 90 seconds, ramp, tower, skid rappelling, and fast-rope techniques. Before you know it you will find yourself going out of an actual helicopter. The final test for Air Assault is the 12 mile road march with full combat gear. Whe you complete this test and march onto the parade field, you will be a member of the elite team of....AIR ASSAULT!!

German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB)

This is a two day course that tests your physical and mental soldiering skills that the German military use to conduct training. The first day you will start with a physical fitness test that measures your muscular endurance.  Such events include:  10x11 meter sprint, flexed arm hang, and a 1000m run. Based on your performance in these events, you will be eligible for gold, silver, or bronze placement. The next day you will take a written exam on Combat Life Saving (CLS) and a practical exam on dawning a protective mask and chemical suit. Cadets who make it past these tests will move on to the shooting event where cadets must hit targets a set number of times in order to place in their respective medals. A swim test is also administered where cadets must swim 100 meters in less than four minutes and take of their uniform while still in the water. The final event is a ruck march of varying distances (medal dependent) in a set time. Cadets who complete all of these events while meeting the required standards will earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge.