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ROTC Commissioning


Faculty, alumni and loved ones gathered in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium May 21 as class of 2011 members Benjamin Lyman, Daniel Krizan, Johnathan Swedborg, Peter Hamill and Kevin Johnston received their commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. Lyman received the John Dickinson Sabre Award.

The newly commissioned officers will attend a basic officer-leadership course at an Army installation, where they will learn to perform duties as a platoon leader within an assigned field. Upon graduation from the course, they will be platoon leaders, charged with ensuring that the roughly 40 soldiers under their command are trained and ready to perform in support of national defense.


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  • Music major Juliana Burdick '11 began the ceremony with song.
    Juliana Burdick '11
  • Lt. Col. Erik Rodney, senior military instructor, offers congratulations.
    Lt. Col. Erik Rodney
  • Rev. Mira Hewlett, director of religious life & community service, presents the invocation.
    Rev. Mira Hewlett
  • Lt. Col. Pete Lugar, professor of military science,  introduces the keynote speaker, Brig. Gen. Jonathan H. Cofer.
    Peter Lugar
  • Cofer, principal deputy director of the U.S. Department of Defense, delivers the keynote address.
    Jonathan H. Cofer
  • Distinguished alumni Cameron Kerr '09 (center) and Robert McDonough '06 (right) congratulate the 2011 John Dickinson Sabre awardee, Benjamin Lyman '11.
    Congratulations
  • President William G. Durden '71, a Dickinson ROTC alumnus, responds as Lyman is awarded the John Dickinson Sabre Award.
    President Durden
  • The cadets take the oath of office. Dickinson's ROTC program is part of the Blue Mountain Battalion, which includes ROTC cadets from Millersville University and Messiah College.
    Oath of Office
  • Peter Hamill '11's father offers congratulations to his son.
    Peter Hamill '11
  • Since middle school, Hamill (right) has dreamed of being a military officer. He will serve in the military-intelligence branch of the Army with an infantry detail. "Looking back on the past four years, I am thankful for everything that I gained through joining Dickinson ROTC," he said. "Not only did I receive the branch I wanted, I gained an incredible amount of experience and knowledge."
    Proud Day
  • Kevin Johnston '11 is joined onstage by his proud mother. Johnston has been given active-duty status in the Army's transportation corps.
    Kevin Johnston '11
  • Daniel Krizan '11, a mathematics major, has been a part of the ROTC since his first year. Above, he receives congratulations from his parents.
    Krizan Family
  • Lyman, a history major, has held every position in the battalion, from squad member to battalion commander. He will commission in military intelligence with a detail to the field artillery.
    Benjamin Lyman '11
  • The Lyman family gathers onstage to congratulate Benjamin.
    Lyman Family
  • Johnathon Swedborg '11 smiles as he accepts congratulations.
    Johnathon Swedborg '11
  • Swedborg is congratulated by his mother. According to Swedborg, the ROTC has been "nothing but a positive experience in which I have learned valuable life skills, such as teamwork, a good work ethic and the seven army values."
    Swedborg Family
  • Family members and friends applaud the ROTC graduates.
    Proud Families
Music major Juliana Burdick '11 began the ceremony with song.Prev ImageNext Image

By MaryAlice Bitts Jackson
Photos by Carl Socolow '77