Eagle Battalion Hosts Largest Commissioning Ceremony in History

May 13, 2014

Georgia Southern University’s Department of Military Science hosted its Spring ROTC Commissioning Ceremony at the Performing Arts Center on Friday in the program’s largest commissioning ceremony to date. Mission Set 14, which includes those commissioning in Fall 2013 through Summer 2014 is the largest commissioning class in Georgia Southern University history. By summer’s end, the Eagle Battalion will have commissioned approximately 65 officers, (11 Nurse, 54 Line) for the 2013-2014 school year. Thirty-two cadets were commissioned as officers in the United States Army. Receiving the rank of Second Lieutenant were Travis Alexander, Heather Allen, Jordan Bailey, Stephen Ballow, Tatiana Blanchard, Cory Brandt, Corey Carnahan, Jasmine Favors, Michael Fountain, Ariel Garner, Justin Harris, Jessika Jackson, Dexter Jimerson Jr., Lia Karrels, Michael Kimbrell, Daniel King Jr., Angelique Lawson, Lorin Lawson, Ra’nesa McClellan, Michael Morris, Matthew Morrison II, David Nix, Rashelle Postell, Abigail Raines, Jacob Riffe, Joshua Rivers, Matthew Rushing, Emily Sangiorge, Kody Stoddard, Ian Walker, Simit Warang, and Chelsea Wild. Professor of Military Science, Lieutenant Colonel Gary Morea, has overseen the Eagle Battalion for the past two years, watching as these Cadets matured in mind and body and now into Army officers. “I am extremely proud of these young Patriots, the newest members of the United States Army Officer Corps. They exemplify all the best American qualities: determination, intelligence, diligence, ingenuity, duty and a strong desire to defend what is right and just. They have worked so hard to get to this point, and they endured and weathered everything that we could throw at them,” said Morea. The ceremony’s guest speaker was Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Matthew Walker who most recently served as the Infantry Command Sergeant Major responsible for all Infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia under the United States Army Infantry School. In addition to his duties as guest speaker, he was there to pin rank on his son, Ian, who commissioned as an active duty Ordnance officer. Walker opened by thanking the cadre of Eagle Battalion for their dedication to cadets and the cadets’ decisions to serve their country. “No one expects you to have all the answers, but they do expect you to work your butt off.  The soldier’s under you – their parents expect you to provide the very best—and you get to provide that,” said CSM Walker. The cadets recognized as Distinguished Military Students for their scholastic accomplishments, moral character, military aptitude, and leadership ability included: Travis Alexander, Heather Allen, Corey Carnahan, Michael Fountain, Ra’nesa McClellan, David Nix, Jacob Riffe, Emily Sangiorge, and Ian Walker.  Nix was also recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate, placing him in the top 20 percent of Army ROTC graduates nationwide. After cadets were sworn in and pinned with their gold bars, each participated in the traditional first salute and exchange of a silver dollar with the non-commissioned officer most responsible for the officer’s commissioning. The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) was established at Georgia Southern in 1980. Through the years the program has expanded, and the Eagle Battalion is comprised of Georgia Southern as the host, with Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah State University, Savannah College of Art and Design and East Georgia State College as partnership schools. Eagle Battalion is a back-to-back recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award (2009-10 and 2010-11), ranking it in the top eight ROTC programs in the nation. Additionally, the Eagle Battalion is one of the largest programs in the southeast and is home to the largest Army ROTC nursing program in the nation.