Major: Kinesiology
Hometown: Born in Kentucky, moved to Indianapolis
Title: Operations group commander
Recent Honors: Gold Badge recipient, German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
Goals: Combat systems officer
They take you under their wing and say, ‘This is how IU works, this is how the military works, this is how you’re going to succeed.’ ROTC was probably the most beneficial thing I had as freshman.
Cadet Nate Bailey
Cadet Nathan Bailey has always wanted to serve his country. “I really didn’t have any kind of family history with military service, but I did have a pretty unrelenting desire to serve,” said Bailey, operations group commander for Air Force ROTC Detachment 215. “I kind of felt like I was indebted to the people who came before me.”
Bailey’s pride in the uniform that he received freshman year has only increased as his understanding of what it really means to serve has deepened.
When he wears the uniform each Monday and Thursday, he walks a little taller. “At first you don’t really realize the time and the effort put in to earn that uniform,” Bailey said. “Then you learn about the legacy behind the uniform. By the time you hit your senior year, you’ve got four years dedicated to the program, and you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into developing the other cadets who have grown up in classes behind you.”
He believes that being part of Air Force ROTC has given him insights into how the choices students make while in college often have a long-term, lasting effect on their careers. ROTC has also shown him the value of a strong support network.
Bailey has taken on the role of mentor for cadets coming up behind him the same way older cadets mentored him. From the time he was a freshman, Bailey had the support of close peers who understood what he was going through, and mentorship from more experienced cadets. “I don’t know where you get the opportunity, other than on sports teams, to be around those upperclassmen from day one,” he said. “They take you under their wing and say, ‘This is how IU works, this is how the military works, this is how you’re going to succeed.’ ROTC was probably the most beneficial thing I had as freshman.”
As operations group commander, Bailey supports the training of cadets so they are successful in field training at Maxwell Air Force Base, a leadership culmination event between sophomore and junior year. He oversees physical fitness, directs training, and does hands-on instruction in the cadet wing. He also supervises Cadet Weathers, who implements the plans and training.
The program is highly competitive. From an original freshman class of 29, Baily said, just three remain, though the attrition for the 2018-2019 academic year has been low.
“People matriculate out slowly for various reasons – they get medically disqualified, they don’t like the physicality, they figure out that military service isn’t for them, they don’t want to move around the country every three years ... And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Even those who move on to other fields will carry what they’ve learned with them. “From day one you’re learning leadership skills that you’re going to use the rest of your life. Even as cadets filter out in their first or second year, they can still take what they’ve learned here and apply that all over the world.”
While Bailey currently runs a cadet wing of 70, he could go on to an organization as second lieutenant at 22 and run an organization of 300 or 400. “After this program, you’re going to be outranking people who have been in the Air Force longer than you’ve been alive.”
