UofL's ROTC cadets commissioned as officers

Seventeen Cardinal Battalion Army ROTC cadets and four Detachment 95 Air Force ROTC cadets were commissioned as officers May 7 as part of Spring 2021 Commencement weekend. 

“Each of you has made a choice to be a part of something bigger than yourselves,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, who was the featured speaker. 

Each Army cadet received a commission certificate, then family members or friends pinned bars to the service members’ uniforms. The new second lieutenants also received their first salutes.

UofL’s Army ROTC has commissioned almost 600 officers since the program began in 1982.

The following were commissioned: Brenden Becker, criminal justice; Seth Conte, political science; Annie Garcia, political science; Ethan Center, sports administration; Demetrio Cervantes, occupational leadership and learning; Drew Clements, occupational leadership and learning; Ivanna Duran, health and human performance; William Hahn, occupational leadership and learning; Thomas Kotz Goodenough, occupational leadership and learning; Sawyer Mattingly, marketing; Nicholas Nuccio, finance; Daniel Rees, finance; Jerry Watkins, finance; Jacob Newberry, mechanical engineering; Kevin Orr, interdisciplinary graduate school, political science; and two Bellarmine University students.

Check out the Cardinal Battalion's Facebook page for more.

In a separate ceremony, the four Air Force Cadets commissioned were Robert Bieshelt, Gabrielle Cohn, Justin Cooper and Alexander Mindrup.