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A Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet listens intently during speed mentoring sessions during the 2026 Lt. Gen. Twitty Leadership Symposium, Feb. 20.
Providing Mentorship:
Symposium imparts leadership advice to cadets
By Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs
Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets who attended the Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty Leadership Symposium at Fort Jackson this year received a more “immersive” experience.
Seventy-one of 136 cadets who attended this year’s symposium received an up and close introduction to drill sergeants during an immersive experience into Basic Combat Training.
The event was first started in 2017 where ROTC cadets were able to meet senior Army leaders and gather information and experiences to enable them to have better careers.
The year’s symposium was held Feb. 20, with some cadets arriving early to be immersed in what trainees first experience when they get off the bus and into training.
The cadets represented nine universities: South Carolina State University, University of South Carolina, Clemson University, Wofford University/Furman, Presbyterian College, the Citadel, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and North Carolina A&T.
For some cadets this wasn’t the first time meeting a drill sergeant and it brought back memories.
Cadet Stacy Puckett from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, said the experience was nothing what she expected.
“To be honest, we were told it was going to be nothing like it was,” the college junior said. “It was supposed to be like, we get smoked, a little scared, and then we get left alone. I didn’t realize it was going to be a whole immersive experience, at least personally, I didn’t realize and I didn’t expect to be smoked for four hours.”
But having gone through it before “definitely” made it easier.
“I’d like to say we were disciplined to do that,” Puckett said. “So it was easier just keeping that straight face, being serious and standing still.”
Cadet D.J. Lister from Wofford University in Spartanburg, South Carolina, called the experience “nostalgic and a little traumatizing.”
“When you see the brown rounds come off the bus .. and he’s like all happy, and then all of a sudden they start yelling at us, and it was pretty intense. It was fun and a good learning experience for those who hadn’t experienced it before.”
The experience allowed future Army leaders to see what their troops go through.
“As an officer, I believe it is important to understand what your Soldiers go through, so you have that mindset, ‘Hey, I know where you’re coming from. Let me try to help that.’”
Lister’s fellow cadet, Preston Bailey, who is also a prior enlisted Soldier, agreed.
There can be some disconnect between some officers and Soldiers, Bailey said. “I think even just the experience of today can really help a lot of officers get that direct experience.”
Not only did the symposium help some cadets get first-hand experience what a new trainee faces, it also allowed them to hear firsthand from senior leaders during a panel discussion and a speed mentoring session.
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