While thousands of soldiers are being sent off to the Middle East and talk of war is circulating, several ISU students and recent graduates are training to become officers of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.

Bryce Butler, senior in economics and member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), said he tries not to focus on the possibility of going to Iraq.

“Wherever it is, I’m going to go there, hopefully prepared, and do my duty,” Butler said.

Marvin Meek, professor and chairman of the department of military science, said the situation in the Middle East can feel far removed from students. However, Meek said graduating ROTC students must have the trust of the government to act as leaders in such a crucial time.

“Many [students involved in ROTC] will become the future leaders of our country,” Meek said.

Butler agreed there are large responsibilities that come with serving his country.

“I will be responsible for the lives of 20 other people, some of which are twice my age,” Butler said. In addition, he said he will be responsible for millions of dollars of equipment.

Butler said he will go into immediate active duty on May 10 when he graduates from Iowa State. From there he will be heading to Fort Knox, Ky., for four months. After that, he does not know where he will be stationed.

He said he gave his top 10 choices of bases last August, but said “we don’t really know until a couple of months before we graduate.”

Butler said he is looking forward to being with people from all different cultures and backgrounds.

“I want to have a good time, I want to serve my country well, and I want to get some experience on my own,” Butler said.

Meek said once ROTC students graduate, they have additional training. This means it will be at least a year before they go anywhere as an officer, including Iraq.

He said becoming a part of the Army is like graduate school to members of the ROTC, where they learn about themselves and things they could not learn at Iowa State.

Meek is in charge of 200 students at Iowa State and Drake University who are a part of the Army ROTC.

Students who are a part of the ROTC program “have a sense of duty that is kind of unusual,” Meek said.

“I can’t talk highly enough of my young men and women,” Meek said.

Shaun Hamilton graduated from ISU in December and since then has already begun organizing an ROTC floor in the dorms that will act as a learning community.

Hamilton and his wife and two children will live in Ames for two more months while he is an ROTC recruiting officer for the campus. He will then leave for an officer basic course at Fort Benning, Ga. From there he will be going on a one-year assignment to South Korea.

Hamilton said he first got involved with the ROTC two years ago. His aunt, who had been a nurse in the military, talked to him about trying the ROTC program.

The challenges accompanying ROTC have been the best part, Hamilton said.

“It’s a reward once you meet your goal,” Hamilton said.

Frederick Cashaw, a recent graduate of community and regional planning and a newly commissioned second lieutenant, said, “Every situation you’re put in, there’s a little bit of difficulty to it.”

Cashaw is also an ROTC recruiting officer.

The trick, he said, is to be able to go over or around that challenge or difficulty.

He said of his time in the ROTC “I didn’t sit there and wonder what I was going to do next, I made things happen.”

After he finishes his time in Ames, Cashaw said he will be heading to his first post at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Cashaw said he wanted to be a part of the military since his father told him stories of being a Green Beret. He said he plans to stay in the military for as long as he can.

Butler, whose father was also in the Army, joined the ROTC program on scholarship.

The best part of the ROTC program, Butler said, has been the trips, specifically an internship in Alaska.

His group also made a trip to Vicksburg, Miss., where they took on roles of different Iowa units in a re-creation of the battle which took place there.

The program takes a lot of time, Butler said. There are early morning and weekend classes and training. As a senior this year, Butler has even more of a time commitment with helping to plan for the program.

However, the time taken does have its benefits. Cashaw said, “We get a huge opportunity to learn from each other.”