2004
Originally published in The Citadel, 2004
When his daughter was born on August 4, 1982, Ricky Felts was the first one to hold her, and as the first to have that privilege, the proud father insisted on naming her, too—Rikki. Twenty-two years later, it’s appropriate that she’s named after her father; after all, she’s following in his footsteps. By the time this magazine is published, the senior cadet will have graduated and will be embarking on a career in the Marine Corps.
Why does a young woman just beginning her career choose to go into the Marine Corps? “The bearing and character of the Marine Corps are just something I wanted to be a part of,” says Felts.
In high school, Felts was in Junior ROTC. She applied to The Citadel because she wanted a challenge. “I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere and camaraderie of being with my ROTC buddies.”
As a senior at the military college, Felts has served as the executive officer of Romeo Company. “I loved it because I got to lead parades,” she says.
With graduation just a few days away, she learns that she has completed the semester with a perfect 4.0. “I was really stressed out about it. It’s such a cool way to finish my last semester. When I do something, I like to learn from it, and if I’m not succeeding, I try that much harder.
Trying harder is likely what garnered Felts the respect and friendship of her classmates.
“You bond because you sweat together and you bond for the simple fact that you’re doing everything like the person next to you. You PT until you can’t stand anymore. Knob year is tough.”
Knob year was not the only obstacle Felts had to overcome. “There are classmates who don’t give me the time of day because I’m a female, but that’s okay. I still love this school. Melanie De Santiago, ’01, told me not to use that as a crutch—that just because something happens to you, you can’t look at it like you were targeted because you are a female.”
After graduation, Felts will complete 10 weeks of Officer Candidate School and then receive her commission. In order to be prepared for the grueling physical regimen of OCS, Felts runs and works out three times a week with fellow Marine ROTC cadets. In fact, Felts teamed up with three cadets to take part in the Semper Fidelis Society’s annual Bulldog Challenge, an intense seven-mile endurance test that includes a Marine obstacle course, a stadium run, a firefighter’s carry and team pushups. Felts and her team finished with a time of 1:47:14, and placed second in the all- female teams.
After graduation, Felts will complete 10 weeks of Officer Candidate School and then receive her commission. In order to be prepared for the grueling physical regimen of OCS, Felts runs and works out three times a week with fellow Marine ROTC cadets. In fact, Felts teamed up with three cadets to take part in the Semper Fidelis Society’s annual Bulldog Challenge, an intense seven-mile endurance test that includes a Marine obstacle course, a stadium run, a firefighter’s carry and team pushups. Felts and her team finished with a time of 1:47:14, and placed second in the all- female teams.
Col. Ralph Tice, ’74, commanding officer of the Department of Naval Science and one of Felts’ professors, was impressed with her determination and leadership: “Cadet Felts provided a high level of leadership and motivation for her team. Midway through the competition as her team negotiated the obstacle course, Cadet Felts performed the rope climb portion. This is a very physically demanding event. “It was especially noteworthy due to the fact that she, along with many others, had not been able to successfully climb to the top of this obstacle at the first of this year. Her persistence, hard work and can-do attitude enabled her to overcome this challenge, and on this day, her determination paid off big for her team.”
In the Marine Corps, Felts is interested in pursuing a career in logistics, but as a criminal justice major, she is also interested in eventually earning a law degree or going into the field of law enforcement.
Unlike the service academies, cadets at The Citadel are not required to serve in the armed forces. Traditionally, a third of the Corps—cadets like Felts—will go on to serve after graduation. ROTC classes, however, are a requirement of attending The Citadel. Cadets must pass one ROTC class every semester.
In her final semester, Felts took Tice’s Naval Science 402 class, Leadership and Ethics. “I wish every cadet in the Corps could take this class,” says Felts. “It’s an eye opener.” The different philosophies and case studies introduced by Tice are thought provoking and force cadets to consider ethical decision making.
At The Citadel, though, cadets don’t just study leadership, they witness it first hand in the Corps. Adam Burch, ’03, who served as a squad corporal Felts’ freshman year, made a great impression on her.
“He never raised his voice,” she remembers. “Not once. He didn’t have to. He commanded that kind of authority, and you wanted to do what he asked you to… That’s how you should lead.”
Leading by example—if Felts does it the way she does everything else, she’ll be climbing the ranks.
Following her graduation from The Citadel in 2004, Rikki Felts Wittman commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps where she served for seven years, retiring with the rank of captain. Today, she serves as a high school counselor. She and her husband, Nicholas Wittman,’03, are the parents of three boys— Wesley, Wyatt and Warren.
