CDT Alex Fan's Journal

ROTC Cadet Alex Fan, featured on the 6.2 cover of GX magazine, is a cavalry scout with the California Army National Guard.

Dec. 17, 2009 — As of August of this year, I have contracted with Army ROTC at the University of San Francisco and became a cadet of the Army National Guard. ROTC is very interesting because it works just like a normal college class, and yet it prepares you to become an officer and leader in the military.

In ROTC, I have to attend a Physical Fitness training session three times a week, usually from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Also, I have two ROTC meetings every week, one in class and another outdoors. It’s interesting for me because having served as an enlisted Soldier, I now have an understanding of both the leader's as well as a Soldier's view of any mission.

Although ROTC can be demanding at times along with the regular college curriculum, the skills I learned this semester have benefited me in my personal life and my military career.I hope to graduate from the ROTC program as well as the University of San Francisco and become an Armor officer in the Army National Guard.

June 8, 2009 — Training to be a 19D, Cavalry Scout, is no easy task. It’s nine weeks of Basic Combat Training, then seven weeks of Advanced Individual Training with all the other Soldiers at Fort Knox, Ky.

Training is held mostly outdoors, but you do have some indoor classes once in a while. 19D Soldiers are very proficient with their skills on all weapon systems, including the M-4/16 Rifle, M249, M240B and the Caliber .50. They also must have very acute attention to details, as they are the eyes and the ears of the Army National Guard. Scouts usually move far advance in front of the main force and report vital intelligence to the rear. This task forces 19D Soldiers to be “jacks of all trades,” since they’re on their own most of the time.

So the 19D MOS has a sense of urgency and danger, but it’s also incredibly exhilarating. We can handle physical and mental challenges that most wouldn’t even attempt, and that’s a satisfying accomplishment. 19D Soldiers can handle heavy responsibility under severe mental and physical stress—a great advantage for the U.S. Army over other forces from around the world.

May 21, 2009 — I joined the Guard in 2006, a few months after I graduated high school. At first, I was just looking for help paying for college, since it wasn’t easy working and going to school full time. But after I joined, I realized that the Guard had much more to offer. It gave me an opportunity to socialize and interact with others within my community, as well as learning about the military Family.

I joined the Cav (cavalry) sort of on accident—but a fortunate accident! I enlisted as 19K, M1A1 Armor Crewman, and went to Fort Knox, Ky., for Basic Training. After I returned, the Armor unit I was assigned to had moved, and the new unit was a Cav unit. Within the next few months, I went to Boise, Idaho, and completed my 19D Cav Scout training. When I got back, I met all of the Cav Family, and learned that the Cavalry takes care of its own.

Like when we went to our annual training in 2007, my squad was left alone with few resources for our living area. But a nearby Cav squadron saw us, invited us to stay near them and gave us food and cots. That made the training much more enjoyable.

Plus, many members of my Cav unit are prior service members from other branches, mainly Marines. From my conversations with these Soldiers, I’ve learned much about other branches and the military in general. The Cav, just like much of the Guard, is like a melting pot—you get a bit of everything from your peers, your community and the whole military. As a member of the Cavalry, and the Guard, I’ve benefitted and grown as a person—with my brothers- and sisters-in-arms’ help.