Ben Baker, I first must recognize your right to your opinion ("Realistic-looking rifles need to go" SN 4/20). But I must rebut it. I am commander of ranger one, that "group of men" you saw marching. We are an extracurricular group within the Department of Military Science that goes above and beyond the norm, training in light infantry and Army Ranger tactics.

On that specific day, we were conducting a road march out to Baker Woodlot, where we routinely train on infantry tactics. Yes, we were carrying M-16 rubber ducks - inert, fake replicas. I don't know where you have been for the past four years, but for the past three, I've been marching around this entire campus with those rubber weapons. The ROTC program actually trains on this campus, and we use replica weapons. We also shoot real M-16s on a shooting range. To reiterate, the ROTC program has been conducting this training for more than 100 years.

I hope that I can assuage your fears of us. Never would anyone from my group, nor ROTC for that matter, point even a replica weapon at anyone. We are not a threat to anyone on this campus. We even call the Department of Police and Public Safety every time that we are going to use those weapons to keep them informed.

Soldiers in training need to simulate everything as in a combat situation to avoid being unprepared. We need to know what an M-16 feels like, how much it weighs, etc. Let's clear something up: We (cadets) are going to be soldiers in the U.S. Army upon graduation, possibly leading the sons and daughters of this nation into battle. Would you go into a fight without training for it, without training on or with someone else and without using everything you needed for that fight? Well, neither would we.

Let me now address your "under siege" comment. We defend this country, not take it by siege. We also defend your right to have an opinion. So, you have safety concerns. Fair enough, but did we ever hear with those concerns a "Gee, thank you for serving this country, thank you for protecting me, thank you for putting your life on the line for me …?"

Mathew Fukuzawa
mathematics junior