Article by C/Benitez
Sunday the 13th of May, was a day to remember for cadets making the transition into becoming officers in the United States Air Force. The commissioning ceremony started with the entrance of the cadre followed by the cadets. Everybody remained standing, and the color guard came onto the stage and presented the U.S and Air Force Flags. C/Lt Col Ruter was the MC for the ceremony. As each cadet centered themselves on the stage, they had to recite the Oath of Office from a commissioned officer of their choice. Once they have took the Oath, family members would go onto the stage and pin the hard-earned gold bars on the service jacket and flight cap. After that, an enlisted person would walk up on the stage and render the new officer the traditional "first salute." C/Lt Col Ruter presented the newly commissioned officer to the whole audience and the new 2nd Lieutenant would give a speech that included thanks to their families, cadre and friends. The commissioning of these 9 cadets that day was incredibly memorable. There were also awards given out in to recognize all their hard work while being part of the AFROTC. The ceremony ended with a slideshow of all the cadets featuring pictures from when they were babies until the present day. The ceremony concluded with a speech from Lt Col O’Brien, followed by the color guard retiring the colors. I would highly suggest to everybody to come out and attend it in the future!
