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UOG ROTC cadets shadow THAAD deployment to Rota

UOG ROTC cadets shadow THAAD deployment to Rota

UOG ROTC cadets shadow THAAD deployment to Rota


4/20/2022

C-17 Globemaster III during Operation Talon Lightning
U.S. Air Force Airmen load Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense equipment onto a C-17 Globemaster III during Operation Talon Lightning on Andersen Air Force Base on March 4. University of Guam ROTC cadets Enriquo Nedlic and Amber Pangelinan got to shadow the mission. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Divine Cox
University of Guam ROTC cadets Amber Pangelinan, left, and Enriquo Nedlic, right
University of Guam ROTC cadets Amber Pangelinan, left, and Enriquo Nedlic, right, stand in front of the THAAD remote launcher that was deployed from Andersen Air Force Base to Rota in March. Also pictured is 2017 UOG ROTC graduate 1st Lt. Maria Rosario Marinas, who accompanied the cadets on the mission as part of the Guam Army National Guard Security Force contingent.

Two University of Guam ROTC cadets had the opportunity to shadow the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) remote launcher to Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands last month. The cadets joined 15 active-duty Army Air Defense Artillery personnel stationed on Andersen Air Force Base for the Army’s part of the mission — Operation Talon Lightning — on a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

“This mission was a great example of the unique leadership opportunities that cadets at UOG routinely participate in,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Anderson, the professor of military science at the University of Guam. “We work hard to expose our cadets to different experiences and locations, so joining UOG ROTC is a great way to see the world while earning a degree on Guam.”

Enriquo Nedlic, a senior public administration major, was one of the cadets to participate in the mission.

“Heading to Rota for Operation Talon Lightning was a great experience, especially since I had the opportunity to witness them deploying the biggest weapon in the ADA arsenal, the THAAD system,” he said. “As a third-year cadet in the University of Guam’s Army ROTC program, I took advantage of the opportunity to shadow, observe, and interact with the ADA officers.”

Amber Pangelinan, a sophomore criminal justice major, also participated in the mission to Rota. She said she was proud to attend the training and enjoyed engaging with the active-duty personnel who taught her how the launcher works using signals.

Nedlic said he also appreciated experiencing the culture in Rota — “the great hospitality, friendliness, and close association that the people of Rota have with one another,” he said.

Pangelinan and Nedlic are slated for off-island training this summer as well.

The UOG ROTC program was established in October 1979 and has commissioned more than 450 dynamic leaders for Guam, the Pacific, and the United States of America.