Graduating into Duty
This month, 35 SDSU ROTC students will be officially commissioned into active duty.
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at San Diego State University is a college elective program for students who are interested in becoming future Officers in the United States Armed Forces. The program helps prepare students to become leaders in their professional careers and personal lives.
This month, the ROTC will be graduating 35 SDSU students into active duty armed forces members.
Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
10 a.m., Friday, May 16, Mt. Soledad in La Jolla
Mount Soledad is known for its memorial honoring more than 3,000 veterans, both living and deceased, who have served from the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in the Middle East.
The Army ROTC program at SDSU is in partnership with the programs at the University of San Diego, University of California San Diego and California State University San Marcos.
Twenty-four graduating Army ROTC cadets, 16 of whom are SDSU students, will celebrate their commission into active duty, reserve and national.
In attendance will be Major General Arthur Bartell, the current president of the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad. Bartell has a 36-year career in the armed forces including combat missions in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.
Air Force ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
3 p.m., Sunday, May 18, Greek Amphitheater at Point Loma Nazarene University
Point Loma Nazarene University’s Greek Amphitheater is the historical site of this year’s Air Force ROTC spring ceremony.
Sixteen students will participate including 11 from SDSU, one from CSUSM, one from PLNU and three from UCSD. Students will graduate into active duty in front of their family and friends. During the ceremony, the second lieutenants will swear an oath to the constitution to perform the duties expected of them.
The students’ families are invited to participate in the ceremony by pinning on their ranks for the first time in their active duty lives. Commissioned students will also give their first salute to an enlisted member of the armed forces.
Navy and Marine ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
11 a.m., Friday, May 23, Jenny Craig Pavilion at University of San Diego
USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion will house this spring’s Navy and Marine Commissioning Ceremony. A total of 28 students, 19 Navy and 9 Marines will enter into active duty this year.
The ceremony will consist of an oath of office and a 10-15 minute address by a guest of honor, Vice Admiral Thomas H. Copeman III, the current Commander of Naval Surface Forces. He has served aboard cruisers and destroyers in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. Copeman has received various awards during his service including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and many more.
The commissioned students, eight of whom are SDSU students, will then have their new ranks pinned on them for the first time by their family and friends. The Marines' portion of the ceremony will include a sword presentation by the graduating students.
