Two Lycoming College graduating seniors were commissioned as 2nd lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a virtual ceremony on Saturday, May 16. The students were part of the Bald Eagle Battalion ROTC program during their time at Lycoming College, keeping pace with their academic studies while participating in ROTC activities, including physical training, monthly leadership labs, and a semester-long field training exercise.
Lt. Col. Jonathon Britton, director of Bald Eagle Battalion ROTC program, officiated the ceremony as two students from Lycoming College and six from Pennsylvania College of Technology, were sworn in. Lycoming College’s Ryan Litterer, criminal justice major from Colonia, N.J., will serve as 2nd lieutenant in the military police, Army Reserve. Criminal justice and political science double-major at Lycoming, Sam Pollock of Wrightsville, Pa., will serve as 2nd lieutenant in aviation, Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
As part of the commissioning ceremony, each cadet raised their right hand and recited the oath as they received their gold lieutenant bars, signifying the transition from cadet to professional military officer, as well as their first salute, representing the symbolic receipt of respect due a newly commissioned 2nd lieutenant. Pollock also recited the oath for the National Guard.
Kent Trachte, president of Lycoming College, congratulated the cadets on their achievements. “As college graduates, you have been exposed to different cultures and worldviews, through courses in the social sciences. You have been immersed in the breadth of human experiences through literature and the arts. You have been introduced to scientific reasoning. This education will serve you well as you lead our nation’s soldiers into a future filled with unanticipated and unimagined change.”
“After four years of coursework, plus the requisite leadership training, physical training, field exercises, and much, much more, you stand ready to serve your country on active duty, or in the National Guard, or the Army Reserve,” said Davie Jane Gilmour, president of Pennsylvania College of Technology.
In addition to Lycoming College members, Bald Eagle Battalion is comprised of members from Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lock Haven University, and Mansfield University.