Embry-Riddle Prescott AFROTC Hosts First Annual Raiders and Drill Meet

Promoting “connection, recruitment and lasting memories,” Air Force ROTC Detachment 028 at Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus hosted the Southwest Armed Forces Raiders and Drill Meet this fall — and it was an outstanding success.

This September, over 450 cadets from 15 high schools and colleges in Arizona gathered at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott Campus for the first annual Southwest Armed Forces Raiders and Drill Meet (SWARM), hosted by Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 028. Truly a joint operation, cadets were present from the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy JROTC programs.

This was the first time that Embry-Riddle had hosted an event of this kind since the Riddle Invitational Drill Meet was discontinued in 2019, which inspired Aeronautical Science student Preston Smith (’27) to organize SWARM.

Detachment 028 had also been participating in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s National Invitational Drill Meet for several years, also contributing to Smith’s desire to implement SWARM as an annual event.

Broken into two parts, SWARM featured both Drill and Raiders events. The Drill events included color guard, armed and unarmed inspections and a drill off, while the Raiders events consisted of physical challenges like a truck pull, casualty evaluation and one-rope bridge crossing.

Smith focused on the Drill portion while Global Security and Intelligence Studies student Alexander Herstich (’28) tackled the Raiders exercises. Smith also noted the invaluable support of his deputy, Mechanical Engineering student Noah Smith (’27), and his chief of staff, Cyber Intelligence and Security student Connor Brennan (’27).

In addition, over 100 Embry-Riddle AFROTC and Army ROTC cadets supported and staffed the event. Dr. Ken Witcher, Prescott Campus chancellor and Air Force veteran, was also in attendance and gave the opening remarks.

“Dr. Witcher's presence showed us that the university truly valued the event and recognized the significance of SWARM's mission,” Smith said.

Overall, SWARM was an opportunity for Embry-Riddle cadets to connect with the surrounding JROTC community and other AFROTC cadets at Arizona State University. High-school attendees got a firsthand look at how a degree and the ROTC program at Embry-Riddle could help shape their futures and were provided a campus tour during the event.

“I spoke with a sophomore whose high school had recently been visited by our Admissions team,” Smith said. “He told me, ‘I want to go to Embry-Riddle.’ After coming up here for the event, he found it even more intriguing.”

Smith is confident that SWARM will continue and grow in the years to come. Embry-Riddle has already invested in the event, with the Facilities team constructing a new leadership reaction course for the one-rope bridge exercise.

“We have a lot of ideas for next year, including the Air Force Academy coming out. We’ll even try to get a flyover,” Smith said.

Though Detachment 028 is already focusing on how SWARM can be improved for 2026, reflecting on the successes and impact of the event was also a key part of the cadets’ experience.

“The biggest takeaway for me was the impact we made — not just creating a lasting memory but potentially shaping someone’s future,” Smith shared. “It was a truly touching experience. Our main vision was for everyone to make a friend, build connections and bring people together.”

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