By Michael Falcone
Daily Bruin Contributor
When a brigadier general came to campus on Friday, members of
the UCLA Reserve Officers Training Corps did more than just
salute.
More than 120 Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC cadets ““ clad
in their dress uniforms and spit-shined shoes ““ marched
Friday in the ROTC’s annual Pass-In-Review ceremony on the
North Athletic Field.
The cadets were reviewed by Brigadier General Peter Madsen, the
commander of the South Pacific division of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
The ceremony ““Â one of the U.S. armed services’
oldest traditions ““Â gave some members of the UCLA ROTC
classes of 1942 and 1945, a chance to observe the newest generation
of student cadets.
“They just don’t get a chance to see something like
this in the area or in California for that matter,” said
Philip Barnette, an army lieutenant colonel and professor of
military science at UCLA.
Madsen, who spoke at Friday’s ceremony, acknowledged the
ROTC cadets of the 1940s ““Â many of whom left UCLA
shortly after graduating to serve on the front lines in World War
II.
“Your time of service spanned a period of social and
economic change,” Madsen said. “We’re very proud
of the legacy of service that you’ve left for us.”
But Madsen acknowledged that while the cadets of the class of
2000 will not be going off to war after they graduate, they still
have to be prepared for anything, and adhere to the same values and
standards as their predecessors.
“Though we are living in a time of peace, we are living in
a dangerous and very unpredictable environment,” Madsen
said.
“You are both expected to do what’s right, legal and
morally correct, to be leaders and care for those under your
command,” he added.
Barnette said the Pass-In-Review was unique because all three
branches of the ROTC marched together. This was the third year that
Army, Navy and Air Force cadets and their supervisors cooperated to
plan the event.
The Pass-In-Review was followed by an ROTC award ceremony. More
than 100 scholarships were awarded to cadets by representatives
from various local and regional military and veterans
organizations.
Christopher Robinson, a fourth-year chemistry and materials
science student and Navy ROTC Midshipman, won the Pasadena Navy
League award for unit participation.
Robinson, with his award ““ an ornate, 2-foot navy
officer’s sword ““ in hand, said his experience as
an ROTC Battalion Executive Officer has taught him important
lessons.
“In the last three months I learned more organizational
and people skills than I’ve learned in the rest of my
life,” Robinson said.
Robinson pointed out that the ROTC’s mandatory
post-graduation service requirements will mean that cadets will
face different kinds of challenges than those who choose to enter
the corporate workforce after leaving UCLA.
“It’s definitely a lot of responsibility right out
of college,” Robinson said. “You could be put into a
situation where you’re going to be leading people into
battle.”
For students like Robinson, the ROTC is a way to help pay for
college and guarantee a career afterward, and for the U.S. armed
forces ROTC students are an important resource.
The ROTC program at UCLA and on college campuses around the
nation represents a significant source of recruits, especially at a
time when the number of commissioned officers is lower than in the
past.
“Given the shortages in the U.S., there is a need for
recruitment,” said Bill McCloskey, an Army major and
assistant professor of military science.
“For the past three years we’ve seen an upward trend
at UCLA” he added.
Steven Wallace, an Army cadet lieutenant colonel and fourth-year
political science student, is part of the group of students helping
to create that upward trend.
Wallace, whose father attended West Point, said his family
history of military service motivated him to join ROTC at UCLA,
despite some personal sacrifices.
“It’s a challenge to manage every day and to
maintain grades,” Wallace said. “It doesn’t leave
a lot of social time.”