LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2025) — Before most of campus was awake, University of Kentucky Army ROTC cadets were already hard at work.
At the William H. Pieratt Intramural Fields, the students joined Lexington and UK police officers, firefighters, corrections officers and members of the Kentucky National Guard for the “Service Matters” physical training event — a morning designed to test endurance and reinforce a shared commitment to service.
Each station of the workout was modeled after real-world challenges first responders face daily. Cadets dragged weighted sleds to simulate fire hoses, navigated agility drills used in police training and completed strength tests reflecting the demands of military and public safety careers.
For Capt. Logan Forrest, assistant professor of military science at UK, the event was about more than fitness.
“This event is a wonderful outreach opportunity to honor our local public servants and demonstrate the true meaning of service to our cadets,” Forrest said. “Though we wear different uniforms, we all serve with the same flag on our uniform. Our missions may vary, but we are united by a shared commitment to service — it’s in our DNA.”
That message resonated with cadets like Ethan Williams, a sophomore kinesiology major from Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
“My favorite part was working with the fire department, where we had to drag a weighted sled across the grass,” Williams said. “It gave me a deeper respect for the challenges firefighters face and the sacrifices they make to support the community.”
Williams, who plans to serve as an active-duty infantry officer after graduation, said the experience also showed him future pathways for service outside the Army.
For sophomore cadet Lily Callahan, also a kinesiology major, the energy of the morning stood out most.
“Capt. Forrest delivered an impactful speech before we began, reminding us of the dedication these people bring to work every day,” Callahan said. “It was a powerful reminder of the kind of leaders we should strive to be.”
Callahan, who hopes to join the Army’s Medical Specialist Corps as a physical therapist, said the event underscored the lessons of Army ROTC: leadership, service and teamwork.
For both cadets, “Service Matters” highlighted that while ROTC prepares students for military service, it also instills a lifelong ethic of leadership and responsibility to community.
That balance of personal growth and community partnership is exactly what Forrest and other UK Army ROTC leaders hoped to showcase. Events like this, they say, not only sharpen cadets’ physical and leadership skills but also strengthen ties between the university and local agencies dedicated to public service. Chris Cooper, commander of Lexington Police Department’s training section, echoed this sentiment.
“It was an honor to both represent our police department and to join the young men and women in the UK ROTC ‘Service Matters’ event,” Cooper said. “To see the number of service-minded students was inspiring, to say the least, and I feel it was a reminder to all the current and former military and first responder personnel who were present of why we signed up for the careers we did.
“As the Lexington Police Department, we truly appreciated the opportunity to be present with our public safety partners, learn more about the UK ROTC program and to interact with the potential first responders of tomorrow.”
By dawn’s end, cadets had pushed their limits physically and mentally. But more importantly, they walked away with a clearer understanding of the values that unite military service members, first responders and community leaders alike.
“UK ROTC has given me many opportunities to grow as a leader and to learn from distinguished individuals, something I would never change for the world,” Callahan said. “We are truly lucky to be a part of a program that demonstrates service and gives us the opportunity to learn from our first responders.”