Blue Mountain Battalion Holds Commissioning Ceremony for Army ROTC Cadets
Fourteen Army ROTC Cadets earned their commissions during a ceremony in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium. Photo by Caroline O'Connor.
Five Cadets Are Dickinsonians
Fourteen U.S. Army ROTC cadets from the Blue Mountain Battalion at Dickinson College were commissioned as Second Lieutenants during a special ceremony in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter (ATS) Auditorium on Saturday, May 16, as part of Dickinson's Commencement weekend.
The Blue Mountain Battalion is a leadership-development program that is the cornerstone of Army officer training that develops students, known as cadets, into future officers. Dickinson is the host institution, with cadets from Gettysburg College, Franklin & Marshall College, Messiah University, Millersville University and Penn State Harrisburg participating in the program.
The ROTC officers will next attend the basic officer leadership course to perform duties as a platoon leader within an assigned career field. They will ensure that the approximately 40 soldiers under their command are trained and ready to perform duties in support of national defense.
View Photos From the Ceremony
The Cadets
Army ROTC senior cadets commissioned from Dickinson: Duncan Besch '26, Frederick, Md.; Charles Bien '26, Lake Geneva, Wisc.; Kevin Holtje '26, Hauppauge, N.Y.; Samuel Orzolek '26, Birdsboro, Pa.; and Christian Swope '26, Olney, Md.
From Gettysburg College: Christopher Fleres, Amherst, N.H.
From Millersville University: Aneesah Brailford, Lancaster, Pa.; Colby Fox, Georgetown, Del.; John Hallameyer, New Freedom, Pa.; Brian Perdomo, Glen Burnie, Md.; Seth Pychinka, Jim Thorpe, Pa.; Ashley Whicher, Saint Leonard, Md..
From Penn State Harrisburg: Jessica Barb, Mount Joy, Pa.; Nolan Harner, Lebanon, Pa.
The Keynote Speaker:
Lt. Col. Torsten Gojowsky served as the keynote speaker for the commissioning ceremony. He is currently assigned as the Garrison Commander for Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Gojowsky enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2006 and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Military Intelligence upon graduating from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School in January 2007.
Following his successful completion of the U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 2010, he graduated from the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course and was subsequently assigned to 4th Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Throughout his career, he has served in increasing positions of authority throughout the Special Forces community. He has been deployed numerous times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve.
Gojowsky holds a Master of Science in Defense Analysis, with a concentration in Irregular Warfare, from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Justice and Law from American University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership at Liberty University.
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Published May 17, 2026