Profile of a Student National Guard Soldier

National Guard Student Profile

The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for students where they can learn leadership skills, strategic planning, and problem solving that they can use in the multiple branches of the military, like the National Guard. 

Jacob Kinman, aerospace management major and a student in the ROTC program at Eastern Kentucky University, is a member of the Kentucky National Guard.

The 21-year-old from Frankfort always had an interest in aviation. 

“I took aviation classes in high school. A lot of that was fixed-wing stuff. My teachers knew that I wanted to go rotary wing,” said Kinman. “My teacher was actually a Marine pilot so he kind of pushed me towards the military.”

Rotary-wing aircraft refers to an aircraft that has rotating blades, such as helicopters. They are more commonly known for emergency use. Fixed-wing aircraft refers to an aircraft that is propeller driven or powered by a jet engine. 

After his freshman year of college, he looked more into the aviation program at EKU and found aerospace management. 

“The Guard gives you a lot of good training when it comes to aviation. (I joined) mostly for the training and the experience,” said Kinman.

Day-to-day tasks can change depending on Kinman’s schedule, which includes ROTC, classes, and personal life. But one weekend a month, Kinman is expected to work with the Guard from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

“The schedule is a little different on those weeks, but with ROTC, it’s kind of a daily thing. We’re doing training everyday, usually wake up at 5 o’clock (a.m.), then we do our physical training either at the track or here at the (Weaver) gym at 6 o’clock in the morning. It’s usually an hour. Then, go home, eat breakfast, and then I'll have classes the rest of the day,” said Kinman.

“It can be a lot to juggle sometimes, but I’ve found the biggest thing that helps me is just having a routine,” said Andrew Rodgers, 27, a rising senior majoring in cyber security.

Kinman has his ROTC class twice a week and his lab, where he applies his skills that he learned in the field, on Thursdays. 

“We have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays where we go over tactics. And then we have lab on Thursdays, which is where we take those tactics and actually implement them in a training environment out on the field,” he said. “The ROTC gives you an everyday experience with the Army, as where the Guard is more just the one weekend of the month and two weeks in the summer.”

There are many benefits for joining the Army while being a college student. The most common benefit people hear is that your tuition is paid for. 

“I love being in the Army. I met a lot of good people, and you get a lot of cool experiences that you wouldn't get outside of the Army,” said Kinman. 

“Free tuition is the biggest benefit from the National Guard side. ROTC wise, I would say the benefits are a guaranteed job after graduation and it provides a unique community experience,” said Rodgers.

In many programs and organizations, you build and receive so many connections. These entities  provide many more networking opportunities. 

“You meet all kinds of connections. Especially with the Guard because people come from all over the state and they have full-time jobs,” said Kinman, who has met people in his unit with aerospace careers. 

Many National Guard members often get deployed to help the community in times of need. There have been National Guard members volunteering at local hospitals and others go out to help in disaster relief. When tornadoes hit Western Kentucky in December 2021, Kinman was not able to go.

“... I'm a cadet; my job is here – to learn how to be an officer. I personally have not had the opportunity to do (disaster relief), but I know that a lot of people have,” said Kinman. “...you get to help those communities, and (it) gives you a sense of pride of being in the Guard today. That's what we are here for. First line defense back home.”

“The only opportunity I’ve had was at the start of the pandemic. I worked a security detail for an overflow facility set up in the convention center in Louisville, KY,” said Rodgers.

If you would like to learn more information about the ROTC program at EKU, please visit https://armyrotc.eku.edu/.