Laura Lopez, a freshman here at Holy Cross, was born in Colombia, and her family currently lives in West Hartford, Connecticut. She is a prospective biology major, but, more importantly, she is the only woman currently enrolled in the Army ROTC program here at Holy Cross! When I asked Laura if she had family members that had served in the Military Services, she mentioned that her older brother will serve in the future, as he is in the NROTC program at Boston University. Earlier this week, I had a chance to chat with Laura about the program and ask her about what inspired her to join the Army Training Program.
SK: Tell me a little bit about how the program works here on campus.
LL: The Army ROTC Unit is based out of WPI. Any Holy Cross students interested in joining the program can contact the advisor for WPI and easily become a participant. There are currently six Holy Cross students enrolled as Army ROTC. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we meet in the morning, drive to WPI, and start training at 6 am. We then come back to Holy Cross and go to our respective classes. Freshmen, which are referred to as MS1, attend a class at WPI on Wednesdays that consists of officer leadership training to develop skills so that we can lead our soldiers in the future. Every Thursday, we attend a two-hour lab that consists of real-world Army scenarios, how to treat wounded soldiers in a combat field, and patrolling (patrolling is mostly for MS3s, or juniors, where they learn how to conduct combat operations and obtain information for missions). During my first lab, a retired four-star General talked to us about being active and we were able to ask him questions and interact with him.
SK: What is it like to be a girl in the Army?
LL: It just feels like being a girl. Nothing is different. I’m just doing something that not a lot of girls do, but I feel the same. I still wear dresses and makeup. It feels very good to be a girl in the Army. When we all get together, there are around 60 of us, and 12 to 15 of us are girls. So we are a minority in the full group, but it doesn’t mean that we’re respected any less. Men and women do the same workout and wear the same uniforms. Everyone goes by his or her last name. Respect is universal. The only difference is that our hair is in buns.
SK: What has surprised you most about being in the Army program?
LL: I definitely didn’t expect to be so supported throughout everything. There is a lot of compassion and communication between the cadets; they are there for you if you need anything, whether it’s at 0600 or midnight. They’re there to give you advice or counsel you whenever you need it. It’s definitely a support system, and you really feel like you’re part of a community. They are honestly the most dedicated, passionate, and supportive people I’ve ever met. The perfect word to describe our relationship is “battle buddies.”
SK: What is the hardest part?
LL: Mental weakness. There are days when you don’t want to run as fast as you can, you’re too tired to run up the stairs, and you just want to give up after your 24th push up. Sometimes it’s hard to just know that you can do it and not only fitness wise but also how organized you are with your time and the grades that you get. When you get a bad grade, it can somtimes makes you feel like you’re not good enough. When you’re hard on yourself mentally, it can be hard to compete physically.
SK: What inspires you?
LL: When you join the Army, you join something bigger than yourself. They’re preparing you to become the best person you can be, not only in the hours that we’re together, but all throughout our daily lives. It’s all about finding “the strength to get yourself over and the strength to get over yourself.”
SK: What is the most rewarding part?
LL: To realize that this is what I’m meant to do. The first time I wore my uniform I felt nervous and scared, but each day I grow into the pride that it takes to wear it and become closer to being able to protect this country in the near future. In terms of fitness, passing the PT test.
SK: What have been your most exciting moments in the program?
LL: When I got my uniform, nametag, dog-tag, and passing my first PT test. It made me feel everything real to me.
(Laura is fourth from the left).