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CPT Jason Linton, Class of 2002
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"My name is Captain Jason Linton, OU Army ROTC class of 2002. My Professor of Military Science while I was an ROTC cadet was Lieutenant Colonel Shramm. I earned a BA in Public Administration while completing the ROTC program. I am currently assigned to the 1-6 CAV, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade (1st CAB), 1st Infantry Division as their Fire Support Officer. 1-6 CAV is based in Ft Carson, Colorado, while the CAB is based out of Fort Riley, Kansas. The squadron is composed of 30 OH-58 "Kiowa" helicopters. My unit is, as of January 2008, serving a 15 month rotation in Kirkuk, Iraq.
I have served two previous tours in Iraq. During the first tour, I was assigned to the 5-3 Field Artillery, 17th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From April 2003 until March 2004 I was with B/5-3 Field Artillery as a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platoon leader. We spent half of our time in Taji, Iraq guarding captured enemy ammunition, transporting captured enemy ammunition for destruction, setting up checkpoints on Highway 1, and conducting searches. I then spent the final six months of that tour in Tallil Air Base manning radio relay towers from Kuwait to Baghdad along Highway 1.
My second trip to Iraq from September 2005 until August 2006 was spent at the Camp Victory Base Complex (VBC) in Baghdad. The Brigade Headquarters's mission was to manage all life support functions and force protection for VBC, which had five major base camps within it. The "mayor" cells were the camp representatives who coordinated Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR), life support, and base security. I was assigned to Camp Liberty and served as the billeting officer, Division Liason Officer (LNO), planner for troop rotations in and out of Camp Liberty, and the Force Protection Officer.
I was a prior-service Soldier before attending OU Army ROTC, so I started the program during my junior year. My education and training at OU Army ROTC enabled me to be prepared for life as a Lieutenant. The classes on Officer Evaluation Reports and Non-Commissioned Officer Evaluation Reports were instrumental in counseling my junior leaders and understanding the process whereby my rater counseled me. The squad-level infantry tactics provided leadership opportunities during field exercises that were extremely valuable to me as a Lieutenant.
Communicating with subordinates, issuing clear orders, and having confidence in front of one's peers are all challenges that one encounters in squad-level tactics. Cadets take those experiences to their future units where they serve as a foundation for dealing with peers and subordinates. Even something as small as leading physical training, which is not at all easy to do in front of one's peers, helps cadets build confidence in their abilities, and they will retain that confidence through Officer Basic Course, Captain’s Career Course, and any unit to which they are assigned.
Based on conversations with many of my peers, I believe that I received more well-rounded education and training at OU Army ROTC than my peers did through their own ROTC programs."
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