Scranton ROTC’s Grossman Completes Elite Sapper School

When Caleb Grossman's '26grandfather learned of his grandson's desire to serve his country in the military, he was supportive.

Actually, the Air Force veteran was downright elated.

However, Grossman's grandfather, Henry Cebrick, who died during Grossman's freshman year at The University of Scranton, also wanted more for his grandson.

"He wanted me to go to college and get an education," Grossman said. "That was a huge motivator for me to come to The University of Scranton and he was thrilled when he found out that I was doing college and the Army."

Grossman, an international studies major from Swoyersville and a member of Scranton's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, recently completed the U.S. Army's Sapper Leader Course in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

It is an extremely challenging 28-day leadership course for combat engineers. According to Grossman, his unit had a 71% attrition rate; 16 of 55 earned the Sapper tab.

"The first two weeks were general skills: learning explosives, building explosives, conducting breechings on roads, bridges and buildings, learning mountaineering, rappelling off of 130-foot cliffs, water operations, jumping out of helicopters and chinooks into the water," he recalled. "The last two weeks were patrolling in the Ozark Mountains, conducting missions."

The course tested Grossman in every sense, including physical exhaustion from sleeping as little as 30 minutes and no more than a few hours per night.

"It was hard," he said. "There were times when I'd wake up from that 30-minute nap and would love to just not do whatever it is I'm about to do. But, I was really thinking about all the people who had supported me: my parents, my family, everyone who helped me train. …

"I eventually had to come back to school. So, I couldn't fail one of the phases, recycle and try again. It was either win or don't come back at all. I had to get it done."

The son of Lloyd Grossman and Joan Grossman, a health and human performance professor, Caleb Grossman intends on serving in active duty and eventually in a special forces unit.

"He wants to be all-in for Army," said Jay Wenger, professor of military science and leader of the Royal Warrior Army ROTC Battalion at Scranton.

Grossman participated this past summer in two additional U.S. Army trainings at Fort Drum, New York, and Fort Knox, Kentucky. Grossman earned the George C. Marshall Leadership Award at Scranton and he is the cadet battalion commander for Scranton ROTC.

Grossman said the discipline needed to graduate Sapper school was partly instilled in him at Scranton.

"When you're waking up every morning at 6 a.m. to go to a workout, you feel better … it makes your mind sharper, you feel more aware in class," Grossman said. "Everyone else in ROTC has really good grades. If they're able to do it, it pushes you to study hard and to not waste any time doing things that maybe aren't as beneficial."

Grossman enjoys the camaraderie of the University's ROTC program and said it has set him up to be a stronger student and better person, adding that he's traveled to 10 countries because of it.

"I've been able to push myself to limits that I never thought possible," he said.