OSU Army ROTC cadets receive assignments at December branch ceremony
Monday, December 16, 2024
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu
On Dec. 5, graduating Oklahoma State University Army ROTC cadets received their assignments during the Cowboy Battalion Branch Ceremony on the OSU-Stillwater campus.
All of this fall’s cadets who competed for active duty received their first branch choice, said Lt. Col. Kyle Ferguson — something no other Oklahoma university achieved.
“These future leaders have earned their branch solely on merit,” said Ferguson, head of the OSU Department of Military Science and the OSU Army ROTC cadre. “Merit built by their achievements: academic, athletic, within ROTC and within the community.”
Ferguson explained that for the cadets, a branch represents their career path. It will inform a soldier’s training and future positions, “summarizing the basic contributions that an individual will have as he or she serves in the U.S. Army.”
“However, it is so much deeper than that,” Ferguson said. “The branch is at the foundation of that soldier’s identity. It symbolizes the first team, first group, first tribe they will be a part of.
“What makes this event uniquely special [is that] the men and women who crossed the stage had no idea what branch they would receive. They had been anticipating that day for about a year, conducting interviews, completing resumes and making their branch wish list.”
While OSU’s Army ROTC is housed with the College of Arts and Sciences, students from across nearly all OSU colleges make up the cadre, also known as the Cowboy Battalion. Of the 13 who received branch assignments during the ceremony, 11 will serve in the U.S. Army on active duty and two chose to enter the Oklahoma National Guard.
“The entire ceremony had high energy as their fellow classmates cheered when branches were revealed,” Ferguson said. “Applause came from friends, family, alumni, current and past AROTC cadre, and university leaders.”
Ferguson explained that the group graduating in December had an average GPA of 3.5; in fact, three of the students were named Distinguished Military Graduates, making them part of the top 10% of cadets across the U.S.
“These cadets are ... a reflection of what OSU envisions of the ‘Ideal Graduate,’” Ferguson said. “They are professionals, ethical leaders and they display personal responsibility.”
December 2024 OSU Army ROTC Cadet Placements
- Aviation — Ella Rudicile, John Schneider, Cameron Payne and Mason Braley
- Infantry — Ian Gilcrest
- Transportation — Lucas Golden
- Field Artillery — Duy Nguyen and Blair Janssen
- Armor — Cassie Pedder
- Adjutant General — Kirin Stewart
- Quartermaster — Parker Wallace and Jaci Pierce
- Military Police — Alley Key
Distinguished Military Graduates
- Ian Gilcrest
- Duy Nguyen
- John Schneider