The way Lt. Col. Brad Martin sees it, everyone benefits when ROTC is visible in the community – especially the 3 percent of Americans who have served in the military.
“It”s a very small percent of the population who have served in the military,” said Martin, a professor in the Military Science Department at the University of Idaho. “When you leave that organization, that service never leaves you.”
Suzanne Avery, cadet battalion commander for the UI”s Army ROTC, will be one of four grand marshals at the UI Homecoming Parade Saturday. The other three grand marshals will be the battalion commanders from the Air Force, Navy and Marine ROTC programs.
Avery said she”s sure alumni of UI”s ROTC program will be happy to see the cadets marching in Saturday”s Homecoming Parade.
“It”s like going back to see your old high school football team,” Avery said. “It”s good to see them win and see the tradition is still going strong.”
Martin said this is the first time ROTC cadets have been invited to be the grand marshals of the parade.
“It”s really an honor,” he said of the decision. “It”s really an amazing feeling.”
The Homecoming Committee approached the Military Science Department with the idea, saying it would be appropriate with this year”s homecoming theme of “A Hero”s Homecoming,” Martin said.
Avery said when the cadets march in the parade she hopes it will instill a sense of pride.
“Pride makes people want to be a part of the unit and want to participate – pride creates a sense of purpose and achievement,” Avery said. “Our unit has a really good history, and it”s always good to have a sense of pride in that.”
The Army ROTC program has deep roots at the university.
Founded in 1916, E. R. Chrisman served as the first director and was a second lieutenant – the first rank after receiving officer status.
Chrisman was a professor of military science at UI from 1894 to 1898, when he left to lead a company from the university in the Spanish-American War. He returned to campus from 1902 to 1905 and returned again in 1916 as a brigadier general – the highest rank for an officer.
“It”s incredible we had a brigadier general here,” Avery said.
Avery said the UI Army ROTC program is something to be proud of. Yet, she said the hardest thing she”s had to learn since joining ROTC is humility. She said being around student veterans has helped because they remind her she still doesn”t know anything about the real Army.
Avery also said Martin has been an excellent role model.
“Most people are prideful,” Martin said. “But they”re not sure what to take pride in.”
Martin said the military is an organization that is bigger than any one individual, so learning a balance between humility and pride is important.
But besides that, he said the fact that the organization is so big can be incredibly impactful to an individual as well.
Hannah Shirley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @itshannah7