The few, the proud, the ROTC

Doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher. For many kids, one of these occupations comes to mind when asked what they want to do when they grow up. But for alumni Michael Zuccarino, ‘12, and Patrick Soung, ‘11, their dream is to become soldiers.

Zuccarino and Soung are both part of the ROTC, or Reserve Officer Training Corps. Both are training to become officers in the U.S. Armed Forces while still taking college courses. They will each have to serve four years after graduating from college and finishing training.

Zuccarino is training to join the Navy while at Univesity of Texas at Austin; Soung is training for the Air Force and attends UC Berkeley.

Soung said that balancing college and training is not too bad.

Soung said he wakes up at 6 a.m. and exercises until 8 a.m. Training involves cardio as well as strength workouts. Soung hits the gym and runs. 

Soung said that while many college students go get drunk on “thirsty Thursday,” he’s training to be an officer. He said it’s all right because he doesn’t drink.

Zuccarino, however, said balancing college and training is difficult.

“It’s hard trying to balance everything, and sometimes there isn't enough time to do both, so I have to make a decision on what to do,” Zuccarino said. “I have to get up really early a lot, like 4 or 5 every day of the week except Friday and the weekends.”

Zuccarino said that although the ROTC members don’t go to many retreats, the training is intense.

Zuccarino said he does a field exercise once a semester, and does training exercises to prepare himself for officer candidate school for the Marine corps.

He said once he graduates he will go to several officer training schools.

“It’s extremely hard to do this and an electrical engineering major at the same time” Zuccarino said. “I don’t really complain about trivial situations anymore.”

ROTC gives scholarships to many of its members. Soung said he applied for a scholarship, but he hasn’t gotten one yet.

He said he hasn't received a scholarship because he joined ROTC once he went to Berkeley.

“I got involved because I always wanted to be in the Marine Corps, but I also wanted to learn about electrical engineering,” Zuccarino said.

Soung said he first heard about ROTC by chance.

“I always wanted to serve, but didn’t know how to do so and get a college education,” Soung said. “About two weeks into college, I met a girl who had done junior ROTC (the high school version of ROTC) and she was accepted into West Point [a prestigious military academy in Virginia]. She told me all about the ROTC program and I decided to check it out.”

Soung said he didn’t tell his parents until about six months after he joined.

“I was kind of nervous about my parents finding out, but my parents are very accepting. I feel as if they might have known all along,” Soung said.

Soung said he felt a hole in his life before the ROTC; he felt that something was missing.

“I just always felt like there's more than just going to college, getting a job, pencil pushing for a couple years, rising to the top of some company, and retiring off of some nice 401k,” Soung said. “Despite its flaws, I really do love America, and I want to serve.”

Soung said he doesn’t plan on spending the rest of his life in the Marines, but he would like to be a soldier for a while.

“I don't plan on serving for a long time,” Soung said. “Maybe even only the four years required. But I do want to serve.”

After the ROTC training, both Zuccarino and Soung run the risk of being deployed into battle zones. Also, both know they run the risk of dying.

According to Soung, “If you’re smart out there, you won’t die.”

Zuccarino isn’t worried about his safety, saying, “Everyone is afraid of dying. My job is to make sure nobody does.”

Zuccarino joked that one of the perks of the ROTC program is looking good in the uniform.

“[I] get to look sexy as hell in the uniform, [and] get motivated to get things done around some of most inspiring individuals the world has to offer,” Zuccarino said.