Reporter Jeremiah Sharf and photographer Zara Castany embedded with Columbia ROTC cadets over the weekend at Fort Dix, NJ. Jeremiah Sharf reflects on his experience.
When I was first offered the opportunity to embed with the ROTC at their FTX weekend (thanks to a last minute cancellation by another reporter), I was very excited. I gladly accepted, and was eager to begin my first-ever embedded experience.
Then, I checked the weather. Rain—lots of it. I had been told that they would look for boots, but as a six-foot seven-inch male replacing what was supposed to be a five-foot three-inch female, I was cautiously optimistic. Sure enough, when Jose Robledo (who was in charge of setting up the weekend), brave photographer Zara Castany, and I arrived at the Fordham Army ROTC office, the answer to whether or not they had size 15 boots was a stern ‘no.’ Apparently, you have to special order them.
With that, we were on our way, I was wearing mesh running shoes (RIP), and Zara had some form of boots, which would also take a beating. Before leaving, though, Jose made sure to stop at Duane Reade to pick up a large amount of snacks, including candy and crackers. I didn’t understand why he needed to do this, as meals would be provided, but I would find out soon enough.
