While most of their peers were out carousing Allston neighborhoods or watching the “Planet Earth” marathon on the Discovery Channel this weekend, the members of the Army ROTC’s Charles River Battalion (Boston University, Bridgewater State, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) were out in the elements completing their annual Field Training Exercise (FTX) at Ft. Devens, 42 miles west of the city.
The cadets practiced patrolling roads, ambushing targets and saving downed pilots in hostage situations. On Saturday night, the MS-3 cadets — mostly juniors — set up a patrol base overnight, receiving attacks from MS-4 — seniors.
The events prepared the MS-3 cadets for Leadership Development and Assessment Camp at Ft. Lewis, Wash. The five-week camp will rank the cadets nationally and prepare them to enter the U.S. Army as commissioned officers for summer 2008.