CHADRON – Three Chadron State College Army ROTC cadets, Chayton Bynes of Chadron, Lily Rafteseth of Colon, Neb., and Brody Burgess of Scottsbluff, Neb., recently participated in the Ranger Challenge and Field Training Exercise (FTX), two programs designed to forge well-rounded leaders.

All three cadets joined ROTC for different reasons but found common ground because they believe the program has transformed their leadership, confidence, and resilience.  

“I’ve always admired the discipline, teamwork, and sense of purpose that comes with military service,” Rafteseth said. “ROTC seemed like the perfect way to grow personally and professionally while completing my education.” 

Strong relationships with her peers and mentors, taught her leadership is about consistency, humility, and taking care of others. 

For Burgess, he said his father was his biggest inspiration.

“My father served as a Navy corpsman and instilled a love in me for medicine and helping others,” he said. “But my decision to join ROTC was deeply personal. I wanted to serve my country in the best way I could to protect the people I care about.” 

Bynes said he was drawn to the opportunity to build leadership skills that would carry over to his future career in behavior analysis.

“In life, there are positions where you become a leader when you don't ask for it, and there are also times when you apply to be a leader,” he said. “Having those experiences, not just how to be a follower, but how to be a leader, carries you through all facets of life.” 

The cadets said they focused on a mix of leadership, teamwork, and skill-building during the FTX at Camp Rapid in Rapid City. For three days, they tackled day and night land navigation, marksmanship, live-fire, assault rifle familiarization and qualification, hand grenade assault, patrol base establishment, and obstacle courses.  

Burgess said the third day was the most physically demanding. He participated in a 9-10 hour simulated combat scenario with squad ambushes, attacks, and medevac operations, all while carrying a weapon, rucksack, and special equipment, followed by four hours of cleaning their weapons to standard. 

Bynes’ most memorable moment came at the end of FTX when his squad chose to keep their rucksacks on and carry their mock injured soldier on a medical stretcher while hauling extra equipment and weapons back through a kilometer of rough terrain.

“It was one of the hardest things I've done,” he said. “But the feeling of accomplishment knowing we were the only squad to accomplish that made us feel like a real team.”

The Ranger Challenge brought another layer of intensity. Cadets spent 13 hours straight competing in events like weapon disassembly, grenade throws, call for fire testing, knowledge tests, building a one-rope bridge to cross a simulated river, land navigation, and endurance ruck marches.

“The burden was brutal,” said Burgess who was describing a sequence of 25-meter sprints, sled drags, buddy carries, tire flips, crab walks, and bear crawls, followed by a six-mile ruck. “I hadn’t hydrated enough throughout the day and was semi-conscious, but my teammates stayed with me and wouldn't let me quit.” 

Bynes said he finished the day with a sense of accomplishment and a stronger bond with his team.

“Completing something that rigorous with a group of people you just met makes you feel like family,” he said. “I only knew them for eight hours, but I feel like they're some of my closest friends after an experience like that.” 

Rafteseth prepared by improving physically and memorizing ROTC knowledge cards.  

“My most memorable moment from Ranger Challenge was the teamwork and bonds that formed while doing something difficult together,” she said. “It wasn’t just one specific event – it was the shared exhaustion, encouragement, and motivation we gave each other throughout the competition.” 

Across their experiences, each cadet said ROTC reshaped how they view leadership.  

Rafteseth emphasized the importance of humility.

“When I first joined, I thought leaders were supposed to always have the answers and be in control,” she said. “But through training and feedback from my peers and cadre, I realized that real leadership means being willing to learn from others, admit mistakes, and grow.”

Each experience taught her to accept criticism and use it to improve, helping her connect better with her peers and earn their respect. 

Burgess said he discovered capabilities he didn't know he had.

“I’ve learned how to stay calm under pressure, make decisions quickly, and, most importantly, that leadership isn't about having all the answers,” he said. “It’s about trusting your team, listening to input, and bringing out the best in the people around you.” 

For Bynes, time management was an unexpected skill he learned from ROTC.

“I’m a track athlete and being in ROTC is almost like being in another sport,” he said. “Plus, if you don’t have good time management you're not going to be as successful.”

All three offered advice for those considering ROTC. 

Rafteseth urged future cadets to study more, saying it's important to be confident in your skills and abilities. 

Burgess encourages cadets to say yes to every opportunity even if it seems intimidating or physically demanding.

“You’ll never feel completely ready, but that’s the point – you grow by doing hard things,” he said.