Leading the Way

Melissa (Bledsoe) Turner ’11, hadn’t really thought about the ROTC (Reserve Officer  Training Corps) program when she arrived on campus, but a fellow freshman in a military uniform, Nolan Stark, caught her eye and she asked him why he was wearing it. He told her about ROTC. “Then he convinced me to get up at six o’clock in the morning to work out with him,” Melissa said with a laugh.

 It didn’t take too many 6 a.m. physical training sessions with the cadets before Melissa decided to enroll in the program. She received an ROTC scholarship starting that next spring and for each subsequent semester of her college career. She graduated with a criminal justice degree and a military science minor in December 2011, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Nolan will graduate this month, also with a criminal justice degree, a military science minor, and a second lieutenant commissioning.

“My experience was great,” said Melissa, who is from Harrisonville, Mo. “I’ve learned how to work as a team but to be a leader at the same time.”

“I’ve enjoyed all the extra things I’ve done with ROTC. All of them were fun and really challenging,” Nolan said. “It lets you know your limits, and you push yourself to the maximum.”

No one in his family was surprised when Nolan, from Brookfield, Mo., graduated from high school and earned a four-year ROTC scholarship to Missouri Western. Both of his parents completed the ROTC program at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State) and served as officers in the Army. His oldest brother, Neil, completed ROTC at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is currently an officer in the Army. Another brother, Guy ’09, was a senior at Missouri Western in the ROTC program when Nolan arrived on campus. Guy is also an Army officer today.

Nolan said he earned a very low score on his first physical fitness test as a freshman cadet – 182 points out of a possible 300 – and he wasn’t very happy with the score. “I passed the two-mile run by four seconds and passed the other tests by the bare minimum.”

Although cadets are required to engage in the 6 a.m. physical training just three days a week, Nolan, determined to improve his score, trained five days a week throughout his freshman year, and earned a score of 282 on the fitness test at year’s end. He had also lost about 30 lbs. and walked away with the award for most improved score. 

At Melissa’s first 6 a.m. session, junior Brian Turner ’10, the platoon leader, asked her if she planned to return. She did return, and they became friends. Melissa and Brian eventually started dating and were married two weeks after Brian was commissioned in May 2010.

One week after their wedding, Brian went to Ft. Knox, Ky., for his leadership training course, and then was stationed at Ft. Riley, Kan. Melissa completed her basic officer leadership training course at Ft. Jackson, S.C., this past March and was assigned to Ft. Riley, as well.

Nolan and his fiancée, Heather Blecha ’10, are marrying this month. (Nolan had not yet received his orders when this issue went to press.)

Lt. Col. J. Shay Howard, battalion commander at Missouri Western, said the mission of the program is to commission the future officer leadership of the Army and motivate young people to be better citizens. All students who graduate from the ROTC program earn a military science minor and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

Missouri Western belongs to the Pony Express Battalion and is the host school for the battalion. Professors teach the classes on campus and students at seven area campuses join in via videoconferencing. Each week, cadets at all schools come together, usually at Missouri Western, for labs. In 2010-11, 16 cadets were enrolled at Missouri Western, and in the fall of 2011, there were 35.

Shay said juniors take on many leadership roles and the seniors in the program are the primary instructors in the weekly labs. Throughout Melissa’s last semester at Missouri Western, she served as the cadet battalion commander, which meant she was basically in charge of all the cadets from the eight schools in the program. Nolan served as Alpha Company commander this past semester, and was in charge of four platoons in the battalion.

“They are being leaders in our community, just like we want them to be,” Shay said.

“You learn a lot about yourself,” Melissa said of the ROTC program. “You learn how much you can do mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s a challenge.” She said she really liked that all the labs and a lot of the classes were hands-on.

Between their junior and senior years, Melissa and Nolan attended LDAC – Leadership Development and Assessment Course – in Fort Lewis, Wash., with two other cadets from Missouri Western. The course consists of six tests where cadets are assessed on their leadership skills. Nolan and Kelsey (Drake) Hopkins ’11, earned a score in the top 20 percent, and Melissa was in the top 10 percent. The three were designated Distinguished Military Graduates because they were in the top 20 percent in the nation.

“I believe I am ready to lead,” Nolan said. “I know there will be challenges, but with the skill set they taught me, I can overcome those challenges.”

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