Equipped to Excel: Auburn Army ROTC

Since 1916, Auburn University’s Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC), the War Eagle Battalion, has developed exceptional young leaders. Key to that mission is ensuring cadets are equipped to lead in realistic, high-stress scenarios.

Thanks to the generosity of Tiger Giving Day (TGD) donors, Auburn’s Army ROTC program is making decisive purchases to strengthen its training capabilities and better prepare new recruits to build the confidence and competence they need to succeed as Army officers. From transportation to new compasses, the War Eagle Battalion can continue building on a proud tradition of excellence.

“Cadets are seeing the big impact that all the donors for Tiger Giving Day have had,” said MS4 senior Brooke Faginkrantz. “That gives them one less thing to worry about when they’re doing their training exercises.” 

During Tiger Giving Day 2025, Army ROTC raised more than $18,000 to buy a Polaris off-road utility vehicle. It enables the program to safely and efficiently transport key personnel, water, and vital equipment to remote training locations, such as the Mary Olive Demonstration Theater and Fort Benning, Ga.

For Faginkrantz and the other cadets, it came at an opportune time for providing rapid mobility and helping to transport buckets of ice water known as “arm coolers” around the training fields.

“In the Army, we have things called ‘arm immersions’—you'll take a big cooler, fill it with ice and water, and you take your arms and dunk them in this cooler full of ice, then raise your arms above your head and let the water to run down your body to rapidly cool down,” said Faginkrantz.

The second part of Army ROTC’s goal was realized on Tiger Giving Day 2026, when donors raised $15,000 to buy a large storage unit—known colloquially in the military as a CONNEX box—so that the Polaris can remain on the training fields. This eliminates the need to transport the Polaris to and from training locations each time. Donors also provided enough funding for new compasses for the more than 150 cadets enrolled in the program.

Cadets are enjoying the benefits of this updated equipment. Faginkrantz shared that while the previous compasses worked, they were also well-loved. 

“The best part of the new compasses is that they glow at night, so you can see when you’re doing night land navigation without a light,” she said.

Tiger Giving Day donors are strengthening the resources that help cadets train with confidence, safety and purpose. Their continued generosity ensures the War Eagle Battalion can keep preparing Auburn cadets to lead, serve and excel wherever their Army careers take them.