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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Sources: Lt. Col. George Belin, 785-532-6754, gbelin@k-state.edu;
and Col. Richard Piscal, richard.piscal@us.army.mil
News release prepared by: Andy Badeker, 785-532-6415, abadeker@k-state.edu

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

FORT RILEY MENTORS GUIDE K-STATE ROTC CADETS TOWARD SUCCESS AS OFFICERS

MANHATTAN -- Field-grade officers at Fort Riley have teamed up with the Army ROTC program at Kansas State University to give senior cadets a leg up on leadership as well as Army culture.

Col. Richard Piscal, garrison commander at Fort Riley, and his wife, Theresa Piscal, started the informal mentoring program to teach cadets about customs and traditions of the Army that don't always get taught at ROTC programs. The Piscals have two children in ROTC programs, a son at K-State and a daughter at Notre Dame.

The program matches mostly majors and lieutenant colonels with seniors in the same branch: Artillery with artillery, armor with armor.

"We hope to build lifelong mentorship relations between cadets and officers," said Lt. Col. George Belin, head of the department of military science at K-State. He put together the guidebook for the program, which will start up again in the fall semester.

Piscal, an armored cavalry colonel, invites students to a "hail and farewell," which recognizes the departures and arrivals of personnel. At such gatherings, Piscal has awarded the Medal of St. George, the patron saint of armor, to all arriving officers, and has bestowed the Order of the Yellow Garter on soldiers' spouses and fiancees.

"So it's not simply about soldiers," Belin said. "It's about families as well."

"I think this is a great program, particularly for soldiers who are brand-new to the military," said Jonathon Wood, Ogden, a May 2008 K-State bachelor's degree graduate in accounting who has been commissioned into the field artillery.

Adam Zerr, Junction City, who graduated with a bachelor's in management, joined two of his fellow cadets at a dinner hosted by Col. Michael Courts.

"It was much of the same advice I have always received," Zerr said, "but applied more specifically in the context of life as an aviator. It's always nice to get more specific guidance rather than just generalities."

After working as a recruiter at K-State, Zerr will undergo basic officer training at Fort Sill, Okla., and aviation training at Fort Rucker, Ala.

Though the mentorship events are mostly social, the hope is that a closer acquaintance with Army life will speed acclimation for newly commissioned officers and improve retention rates.

"We're getting them ready for the expectations of a second lieutenant," Piscal said. "What are the challenges they are going to face? They are our future leaders; they are good, bright kids, talented, and we need to keep them."

The fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq is decentralized, and young officers "find themselves operating independently a lot of the time, right from the start," Piscal said. "So it's a much different environment than when I came in back in 1983."

Mentors benefit as well, Piscal said.

"It's always a great opportunity, as a senior leader, to pass on things you've done well and mistakes you've made, to prepare a young leader," he said. "Professionally, it's rewarding to let them know what you think 'right' looks like."