Coming from a family full of war veterans, sophomore Richard Alexander has experienced first-hand the positives and negatives of an Army-filled life. He even grew up wanting to follow his father’s footsteps.

“As a kid, all I did was dream about it; I played with my army men all the time,” Alexander said. “But at a certain age, you realize that you aren’t invincible and those dreams start to fade. But then my adult brain kicked in and I realized that I could make a real difference in the world. And that’s when I decided to join.”

Alexander is a cadet in the University of Kansas’ Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and a member of the National Guard.

Three times a week, Alexander makes the 19-mile drive to Lawrence for 6 a.m. physical training (PT), and an additional time for a scheduled class period.

PT holds high standards that its participants must meet. Through the intensive exercise, Alexander said he has lost over 100 pounds but has gained qualities such as maturity and respect.

“I think ROTC gives structure to people in college,” fellow ROTC cadet Jeffrey Ahle said. “There are a lot of chances for people to goof off in school, but this helps you manage time, challenge yourself and learn leadership skills.”

As of right now, Alexander is only an ROTC student. The program is essentially for college credit until participants enter their junior year, when they must decide if they want to commit to the U.S. Army or not.

Alexander not only wants to commit to the Army for the designated six years, the sociology major also dreams of making a career out of the experience.

“I want to be someone that isn’t expendable,” Alexander said. “I want them to want to keep me. But regardless of whether I make it a career or not, I can take what I’ve learned from the whole experience and apply it to my future.”

Alexander came to Baker University on a football scholarship as an offensive lineman, but the time commitments to both athletics and the ROTC program were a challenge for him. He said he “simply didn’t have enough time in the day” to do both of the things he loved. But once he saw that the positives of joining the Army outweighed the negatives, Alexander traded in his football helmet for a Kevlar helmet.

“I got rid of the fears that come with being in the Army,” Alexander said. “And when I was able to accept the fact that I was able to do a lot of good, I joined. I get to serve my country and truly understand what it is to be an American and what it means to truly give up something to get something in return.”

Although Alexander says the hardest part was seeing the football team move on without him, he believes that he has gained a lot of maturity through the experience. His teammates see the difference in him as well.

“Richard really grew and matured as a man,” Levi Blaylock, fellow Delta Tau Delta fraternity member and football player, said. “Around his brothers at the (Delta Tau Delta) house, we still know how fun and goofy Richard is, and there are still a lot of things that haven’t changed, but overall, I think he is living a happier life, and everyone who knows Richard can attest to that.”

As the only “satellite” student at KU from Baker, Alexander is keeping the program alive. But upon his commission, if the program fails to sign up another student, it will be shut down.

Alexander hopes that his peers can see what the KU ROTC program has done for him so that they will join, too, in order to keep the partnership open between the two schools.

Although he is nervous for actual deployment, Alexander knows that the KU program, which is one of the best in the country, produces strong and tough cadets whom he will proudly stand next to in battle.

“I owe my health and maturity to this program,” Alexander said. “They saved my life, and I want to do the same for everyone else. I can train day-in and day-out, but I can’t really prepare myself for what I’ll see. But I’m going to trust what I’ve been taught and work my butt off to make sure nothing bad happens.”