Molly Martin sat nervously at the table. She had to make an announcement to her parents that she going to change a big part of her future.
“Mom and Dad, I have something that I want to talk to you about,” she said. “This is something that I really wanted to tell you. I’ve really been thinking hard about this decision, but I’ve gone ahead and joined Army ROTC at Ball State University.”
All eyes were on her as she delivered the news to her parents and extended family. In her mind, she knew it was not the best time because it was Thanksgiving and the family had just sat down for dinner.
The room filled with an awkward silence before her parents responded. Martin did not discuss her decision with her parents and it came as an unexpected surprise. Questions and concerns broke the silence.
“What does this mean?”
“Will you finish your degree?”
“What comes after graduation?”
“Will you still get to be a nurse in the Army?”
She explained to them that she wanted to serve in the Army as a nurse on active duty and planned to help aid citizens in cities where she would be deployed.
“As a nurse, I serve not only the soldiers but also the community members,” she said.
Master Sgt. Michael Black, the senior military science instructor, said the program is designed to prepare students for the significance of leadership when they become officers.
Since the 2005-2006 school year, the program’s enrollment increased by 50 percent, according to an article in The Washington Post.
“The Army is in the waning stages of war and has largely stopped growing,” Johnson said. “Yet its ROTC program is reaching near-historic enrollment.”
To read about the Martin's weekly ROTC routine, head over to BallBearingsMag.com
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