Cumberland Valley News

Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School issued the following announcement on Oct. 4.

On Friday, October 1, 2021, Shippensburg University ROTC Raider Battalion celebrated 40 years of excellence with a ceremony at the Old Main Fountain. Cadets from the program consistently rate among the best the United States Army produces.

Last year, Cadet Joseph Oleski ’21 was ranked seventh in the nation out of 7,000 cadets across the nation. In 2015, ROTC Cadet Collin Brackin ’16 topped the Cadet Command’s merit list of 5,575 senior ROTC Cadets across the country and was named its national Cadet of the Year. In 2018, Cadet Brad Foreman ’18 was awarded the Syed R Ali-Zaidi award for academic excellence from the State System.

When the Raider Battalion cadets move from cadet to officer, the program boasts impressive military leaders including:

• Major General Andy Munera, commanding the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command and
• Major General Robert Collins, overseeing tactical Command, Control and Communications, both at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
• Brigadier General John Kline, recently appointed to Commanding General, United States Army Center for Initial Military Training Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia,

“The change and churn that marks our contemporary life means that longevity for organizations is a challenge. Longevity, combined with great success, is even more rare. Yet today we again celebrate this rare combination of longevity and excellence at Ship. For 40 years, the Shippensburg University ROTC program has been developing exceptional leaders in uniform and exceptional leaders within our communities and the nation,” said Dr. Charles E. Patterson, interim president of Shippensburg University.

Original source can be found here.