The department of military science at University of Wisconsin-Stout will hold its spring commissioning ceremony for four Army ROTC cadets at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 20, in room 340 of the Davies Center at UW-Eau Claire.
UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls comprise the Northwoods Battalion in northern Wisconsin. ROTC stands for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
The four cadets to be commissioned, their hometowns, universities and majors are:
- Benjamin Beyer, of Appleton, UW-Stout, manufacturing engineering
- Molly Hill, of Livingston, UW-Eau Claire, business administration
- Joshua Noll, of Wausau, UW-Eau Claire, German liberal arts
- Bianca Woller, of Belleville, UW-River Falls, animal science
The newly commissioned officers’ duties will be: Beyer, Wisconsin Army National Guard, Engineer officer; Noll, active duty, Infantry officer; Hill, active duty, Field Artillery officer; and Woller, Army Reserves, Medical officer.
The students also graduate in May with academic degrees from their respective universities.
The guest speaker will be Colonel Martine Kidd, 34th commander of the U.S. Army’s Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Ala. The depot provides combat-ready vehicles, weapons and secondary items for the U.S. military.
Commissioning recognizes a cadet’s transition from student to leader and is the last step taken before beginning a career as a U.S. Army officer. Ceremonies include a commitment to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. A cadet is granted authority to carry out the duties as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. The authority to grant a commission rests with Congress.
“These newly commissioned officers are responsible for leading and training enlisted soldiers, planning missions and organizing the internal and external affairs of the Army,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Johnson, UW-Stout professor of military science and department chair. “They also will be entrusted with the welfare, morale and professional development of the soldiers under their command. As such, the Army commissions only the most qualified, talented men and women.”
During the ceremony, each cadet takes the Oath of Office, similar to the president of the United States at inauguration. The cadet chooses an officer or retired officer to administer the oath. Family members, or others close to the individual being commissioned, pin the cadet with gold bars. The ceremony culminates with the newly commissioned officer being saluted by a noncommissioned officer of his or her choice.
Students in ROTC enroll in leadership courses as electives and pursue a degree of their choice.
“Newly commissioned second lieutenants have responsibilities that far exceed those of most new college graduates,” Johnson said. “They routinely shoulder responsibility for training, inspiring and leading more than 30 soldiers but also are expected to be America’s diplomat in demanding overseas environments.”
Each year the battalion trains approximately 140 cadets across all academic levels and produces an average of 16 lieutenants.
Northwoods Battalion history
In 2005 an ROTC partnership program was established at UW-Stout with 11 students. A program already existed at UW-Stevens Point.
Students from UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls took ROTC courses through UW-Stout.
In 2007 a partnership program was established at UW-River Falls.
In 2009 ROTC became part of UW-Eau Claire, and in 2010 a satellite agreement was signed.
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Benjamin Beyer, of UW-Stout, is one of four Army ROTC cadets from the Northwoods Battalion who will be commissioned as Army officers during a ceremony May 20 at UW-Eau Claire.
