The ROTC at the University of Mississippi recently held a Pass in Review ceremony on December 1st. The Pass in Review was held in honor of Chancellor Dan Jones. Video by Mary Stanton and Karen Tuttle. Produced by Mary Stanton.
ROTC Pass in Review
December 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Chancellor Jones to Oversee ROTC Pass in Review Ceremony Dec. 1
December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The University of Mississippi ROTC programs, including Army, Navy/Marines and Air Force, will conduct an inspection and Pass in Review ceremony Thursday (Dec. 1) on campus.
The public event begins at 2 p.m. in the University Lyceum Circle. Maj. Gen. Robert Chesnut, a 1968 Ole Miss ROTC alumnus, is the keynote speaker.“A military Pass in Review is primarily used during change-of-command ceremonies, formal events bringing together large formations of troops and parades,” said 2nd Lt. Will Allen, Gold Bar recruiter. “It
generally incorporates a senior officer or dignitary, in this case Chancellor Dan Jones. Numerous senior administration officials, veterans, retired general officers and alumni are expected to attend.”
Historically, the review of unit readiness and discipline incorporates an inspection. The formation then marches past a reviewing stand where VIPs and the senior officer or dignitary are seated.
“Over 1,600 officers have commissioned through the ROTC programs on campus,” said Master Sgt. Michael Howland, UM senior military instructor. “They have fought honorably through six wars, including World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. About 20 graduates have also attained the honor of becoming general officers (one star or higher).”
The Pass in Review has a long history in the military and at UM. The campus event had been conducted annually since the inception of the ROTC programs, running through the late 1990s. ROTC at the university was established on March 11, 1936, and traces its history back to the University Grays, which was formed in 1861.
On August 6, 1964, a distinctive unit insignia was authorized for wear by UM ROTC cadets. The insignia consists of a shield of red and blue (the university colors) and a bend of gray (representing the University Grays). A likeness of a rifle, a Magnolia blossom and the Lyceum identify the unit with national defense, the state of Mississippi and the university.
ROTC 9/11 Run
September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Cadets and Midshipmen from the Army, Air Force and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) run together in a joint formation to commemorate 9/11. Leading the formation, from left to right, are: Midshipman Michael Smith, Army Cadet Bond Finseth, Midshipman Caleb Varacalli, Midshipman Taylor Lang, and Air Force Cadet Dean Lamney. The annual event took place last Thursday morning with over 100 ROTC participants, as well as runners from the local community. The participants finished the run in front of the Lyceum Building, where Head Football Coach Houston Nutt delivered a remembrance speech. Photo by Tyler Jackson.
Midshipmen from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) unit at the University of Mississippi stand at parade rest while receiving a remembrance speech from Head Football Coach Houston Nutt. “Thank you, to those who have served and you who have pledged to serve in our armed forces,” said Nutt. “I tell my football players everyday that their hardest day in practice pales in comparison to the everyday lives of our Soldiers, Marines and Sailors.” The midshipmen stand alongside their Army and Air Force cadet counterparts after a Joint Commemorative 9/11 run through campus last Thursday morning. Photo by Tyler Jackson.
ROTC Runs in Remembrance of 9/11, Community Encouraged to Participate
September 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Members of the Reserve Officer Training Corp from the United States Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force will participate in a three-mile run on Sept. 8 to honor the memories of those who lost their lives in the attacks on Sept. 11.
Anyone can participate in the run, which is held every year. It begins at 6:30 a.m. in the Student Union parking lot. The course makes a circle through downtown Oxford. Those participating should meet at 6 a.m. in the Union parking lot. Following the run, Coach Houston Nutt will give a short remembrance speech.
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011 marks the tenth anniversary of the suicide attacks on the United States, the deadliest acts of terrorism in our nation’s history. Approximately 3,000 lives were lost as a result of four planes being hijacked and crashing into what al-Qaeda believed were strategic targets.
For more information on the run, contact Davis Coker, Air Force ROTC public affairs officer, at dwcoker@olemiss.edu.
The University of Mississippi Celebrates Veteran’s Day
November 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The University of Mississippi honored the 368 Ole Miss students receiving Veteran’s Administration benefits along with all of the country’s veterans during a Nov. 10 ceremony.
Larry Ridgeway, vice chancellor for student affairs, said military students are important to the Ole Miss community. This fall the university became an active Yellow Ribbon school and has recently awarded three scholarships through that program.
“Our goal is to do everything that we can to make sure that our military students’ transition to higher education is as seamless as possible,” Ridgeway said. “We are forever grateful for the service of our military men and women, and are eager to provide them with an exceptional educational experience here at the University of Mississippi.” [Read more...]
UM ROTC graduates leave school without fear of job, with memories
April 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Unlike most students, those in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Mississippi aren’t faced with uncertainty about their futures after graduation.
“Once I graduate, I will have a four-year commitment to the Air Force,” Sara Stevens, one of UM’s graduating ROTC students, said.
“I’m going to be an intelligence officer. I’ll start off with six months of training in Texas at my first base, and from there I can go just about anywhere in the world.”
Although ROTC graduates that get their commissions as officers often have more training to look forward to, they usually have jobs waiting on them. ROTC students tend to think about making the military a full career rather than just a tour of duty.
Snow-blind: An Amazing Rescue of Three Icelandic Men
March 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
by Col. STEVEN A. ESTOCK, as told to Tim Barela
56th Rescue Squadron at Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland
Keflavik, Iceland – Fifteen years after it happened, an amazing rescue of three Icelandic men trapped in a blizzard still stands out in the helicopter pilot’s memory.
With furious 60 mph winds blowing snow so hard that they would choke on it when they opened their mouths to talk or breath, the three Icelandic hikers knew they were in serious trouble.
Col. “Stony” Estock was the commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 430 at The University of Mississippi from 2007 to 2010. (Photo by TSgt Samuel Bendet)
They had set out on an adventure in the Icelandic interior to retrace the steps one man’s grandfather had taken some 70 years earlier.
While traveling between two ominous glaciers, a violent blizzard hit and quickly buried or blew away all of their supplies and equipment. They attempted to build a snow shelter, but it collapsed under the weight of the rapidly growing snowdrifts. They tried to hollow out shallow indentions atop the snow to rest in and escape the wind. But as they lay in them, their clothes froze to the ground and the holes filled so fast it was as if they’d dug their own graves.
Forced to keep moving, they had to hope beyond hope that someone would find and rescue them from this white fury before it was too late.
