THE DROPZONE
Iraqi Convicts Riot, Escape Prison; 12 Killed pg. 7
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Table of Contents Introducing Cadet Riddle - Page 4 Iraqi Convicts Riot, Escape Prison - Page 7
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Table of Contents Introducing Cadet Rogers - Page 12 Did The AFROTC Meet My Expectations? - Page 14
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Introducing Cadet Riddle Cadet Riddle was born on the Eglin AFB in Florida on January 25th , but she considers Norfolk, UK to be her hometown as she spent most of my childhood in England investigating old ruins of castles and pretending to be a knight from the Middle-Ages. When not in school, she lives in Oak Ridge, NC just outside of Greensboro with her parents, younger brother Christopher, sister Katlin, and the family dog Harley. She currently attends College of Charleston and majors in International Studies with a Europe concentration and she is minoring in Russian Studies. She plans to graduate May 2014 with a solid grasp of the Russian language. As far as hobbies are concerned she loves to travel. She started traveling when she was a kid and her list of places to visit continues to grow as she gets older. She has traveled most of Europe, and in 2011 she visited Russia for the first time and studied at Mordovian State University located in the city of Saransk (the capital of the Republic of Mordovia). She also visited Kazan and St. Petersburg and plans to visit again as soon as she can. She also loves to read books. “I could sit for hours (and I have) reading novel after novel. When I moved over the summer, I finally counted how many I had in my room. The total was close to three-hundred and that’s not including all the books on my Kindle. Let’s just say the movers were not amused,” said Cadet Riddle. 4
Her father retired from the Air Force after 25 years of service and her younger brother, Christopher, is currently at Lackland AFB in TX for Basic Training. Many of her family on her mother’s side were service members in various British branches as well. Most of her ‘adopted’ family is or were in the military. Also, almost all of her friends are too. She joined AFROTC because she could not see herself joining any other branch, but she also wanted a college experience. Detachment 772 filled all of her requirements; it allowed her to have that college experience but also gave her time to figure out if she wanted to commit to the military or choose a different path. At the moment she has no plans to make the military her long term career, although it is an option. For the moment, she is hoping after her commitment to return to Russia to study at a university and continue her language learning. If she does decide to make the Air Force her career, she would like to be a Regional Affairs Strategist within the International Affairs Specialist program (specifically dealing with Russia if possible). RAS officers attend the Naval Postgraduate School and the Defense Language Institute and graduate with a regional, international-affairs type master's degree and foreign language capability tied to their region of study. 5
Iraqi Convicts Riot, Escape Prison; 12 Killed
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BAGHDAD — Prisoners seized weapons and set off hours-long clashes with security guards at a prison in Saddam Hussein’s hometown that left 12 dead, including 10 guards, before dozens of inmates managed to escape from the facility, Iraqi officials said Friday. Many of those who escaped from the prison in Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, were al-Qaida suspects, said a provincial spokesman. He could not say whether the terror group was behind the prison break. The violence erupted Thursday night, said Mohammed al-Assi, the spokesman for Salahuddin province, where Tikrit is located. Several inmates broke into the prison storeroom and grabbed weapons kept there, overpowering the guards, he said. The prisoners then engaged in an hours-long gun battle with the security troops inside the facility before breaking out of the prison on Friday morning. Security troops later regained control of the prison, al-Assi said. (Continue to page 8.)
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Iraqi police man a checkpoint set-up in the center of Tikrit (AFP/File, Mahmud Saleh)
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Following the prison break, a curfew was imposed in Tikrit, he added. “Everything is under control now. Our security forces are chasing the escaped prisoners and have already recaptured some,” al-Assi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. A provincial health official, Raed Ibrahim, confirmed that 12 people died in the violence — 10 prison guards and two inmates. He said 32 people were wounded in the clashes. Qutaiba al-Jubouri, a lawmaker from the province, said a total of 81 inmates, including some who had been sentenced to death, managed to escape but that 36 of them were quickly recaptured. “This is a regrettable security breach,” said alJubouri, adding that an investigation will follow, “starting with the commanders of the security forces” at the prison. He added that special forces were sent to Tikrit from Baghdad to put down the rioting.
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Another lawmaker, Hakim al-Zamili, said the inmates burned all the prison records, which will complicate efforts to track down those who escaped. Prison breaks are common in Iraq and are an embarrassment to the country’s Shiite-led government. A relative of former Basra governor, Mohammed al-Wailie, kisses his poster during his funeral in Basra, 340 miles (547 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. Gunmen shot dead the former governor, Mohammed alWailie, as he was driving his car in the city center, the police said. (AP Photo/ Nabil al-Jurani)
Associated Press Writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed 10
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Introducing Cadet Rogers Cadet Rogers is a Junior at the College of Charleston. He graduated High School in Glenpool, Oklahoma at Glenpool High School. He has gained two years of education at Trident Technical College in North Charleston, South Carolina . In the fall of 2012 he transferred to the College of Charleston where he plans to receive he Bachelors Degree in Mathematics. During this same time he also enrolled into the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) at Charleston Southern University. Cadet Rogers plans to graduate college and commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in May 2014. Cadet Rogers has many people in his family that are in the military. His father is retired Master Sergeant Roy C. Rogers III. MSgt Rogers has spent 20 years of service in the United States Air Force. During this time he received two Bronze Stars and many other military decorations. His mother is Angela M. Rogers. She lives in Oklahoma and works at Don Carlton Hyundai. His step-mother is Master Sergeant Debra J. Rogers. MSgt Rogers is one of the members of Detachment 772’s Cadre. She has been an enlisted member of the United States Air Force for over 19 years. In February of 2013 she will be retiring. His sister is a Senior Airman in the Air National Guard located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 12
Cadet Rogers enjoys many different activities. In High School Cadet Rogers was on the wrestling and baseball teams. His senior year he took fourth in the state at his weight class of 160 lbs. Since High School Cadet Rogers now enjoys working out and running to stay in-shape. He also plays basketball and racquetball to stay involved in sports. Cadet Rogers joined the AFROTC to be able to commission as an officer in the USAF. There are many reasons why he chose this route. First it is a guaranteed job after college. The military gives great benefits to their people. Joining as an officer also means that he will have his Bachelors Degree for when he completes his service in the military. Most important of all is to serve his country.
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Cadet Fox The question, “does the AFROTC meet your expectations?,� has been brought up numerous times throughout Leadership Lab and Field Training Prep. I believe the AFROTC program has well exceeded my expectations, but not regarding the class; more in regards of myself. When I joined the AFROTC program I was essentially going in blind because I did not take any ROTC classes in high school and the military history in my family is very limited. After talking to a few Cadets the past couple of semesters during recruiting events I decided to see if the military lifestyle was for me. I grew up in a household where strictness and having a lot of responsibility were not a big deal. There were high expectations but as long as I got them done in a reasonable amount of time then that was fine. I did not have any bills to pay for either. Before I joined the AFROTC program I just let life take me wherever it wanted to. I knew the AFROTC was going to add some more responsibilities academicly and physical wise, but I was not aware that it would affect my personality and lifestyle as much it did.
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After joining the AFROTC, I began to take on more adult/leadership roles. I offered to pay for some of my bills and decided to model myself as someone who stood out and wanted to become someone of a significance. I started to make other minor changes as in keeping my living space cleaner and doing my homework earlier than I normally would. A bigger change that I took upon myself was to take care of my body better. Before AFROTC I was a slouch and hardly did anything physical. Now, I am working out on a regular basis and eating healthier. The AFROTC program did not just meet my expectations, it exceeded them by a milestone. I thank the Cadre and my fellow cadets in being supportive and making my experience in the program a very enjoyable one. I began the program unsure if I was wanting to pursue a career in the military, but now I am striving to be all I can be to go beyond expectations and be the best Airman I can be. AIM HIGH! FLY-FIGHT-WIN!
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“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.� -Colin Powell 16