Grambling State University student J’Hade Satterfield is a staff sergeant and squad leader for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
She is also a private first class in the United States Military.
Satterfield helps the ROTC program at Grambling State University by being a leader at all times and practicing healthy and responsible habits.
“I am a squad leader for ROTC. It’s me in the front and then the people next to me are the people I look after,” Satterfield said. “For explanation, I'm the professor and then the squad is my students.”
A platoon is a group of 35-45 people. Companies are usually comprised of four different platoons.
“For example — like the class rooms you have an alpha company, bravo company, charlie company, delta company under one person. The brigade for example is like a campus,” Satterfield said.
Some in the ROTC program have already enlisted in the military and others are just in the program and have a scholarship to be in ROTC.
Every ROTC program in the United States has patches.
“I wear when I'm in ROTC but when I'm in the military I have like an upside down teardrop which is the private first class rank,” Satterfield said.
The leadership patches symbols that one wants to become an officer. The flag is a patch symbolizes what country you are fighting for. The last name of people is a patch so others can know who you are. The ROTC patch is usually a dot for the cadets.
Once an ROTC student finishes school, becoming an officer is a goal.
One can do the reversed component or the National Guard or the Navy component, either way it's a eight year commitment.
Satterfield is one of those who is also in the military. She is a member of the Army Reserves.
Drill week for the Reserves was this past weekend for Satterfield.
As a member of the Army Reserves she does military training one week out of the month and two weeks in the summer.
Satterfield commuted back to her home Dallas, Texas, her unit is twenty minutes from Dallas.
For three days Friday, Saturday and Sunday she underwent range training on firearms.
For drill training she usually leaves Grambling State University Thursday and gets to her unit early Friday morning where she engages in physical training and hygiene training.
For firearms training the unit begins in the firearms room where members pull weapons and make sure the weapons are clean and work properly and everyone has a weapon and that everyone is accounted for. They also make sure there are enough bullets, range duty and enough silhouette targets so everyone can shoot.
Satterfield said after that, the work day usually starts at 9 a.m., but the range day may start earlier.
J’Hade Satterfield