It’s a staircase that only some stumble upon – eight flights of stairs that expose a path, to a floor that rugged boots and slick black shoes have glided across.
The floor holds some of the grandest traditions of our nation, scoring from valor, perseverance and purity.
The fourth floor of Beyer Hall may stand as unknown to some but bears the values and traditions of the United States Army, to dedicate and train ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) cadets to become future Army officers.
The Gannon University Army ROTC program began transforming elite students into cadets and dedicated cadets into well-trained United States Army officers in the fall of 1948.
Since the establishment of the program, the Gannon ROTC battalion engaged Mercyhurst University and Penn State Behrend with Gannon ROTC forming the “Pride of PA” Battalion.
The battalion provides its students with military science experience as cadets until they are later commissioned as officers. Following the introduction of Gannon ROTC and then the “Pride of PA” Battalion, the program has graduated more than 1,000 officers, eight of whom have worn the ranks of general on their shoulders.
While the “Pride of PA” Battalion has continued to progress into a top-notch ROTC program, recently the battalion was recognized nationally as one of the top ROTC programs across the nation, receiving recognition through the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation.
Since 1989, the foundation has recognized top ROTC programs across the nation categorized by regions. This year the “Pride of PA” Battalion was acknowledged as one of the top eight ROTC establishments in the nation.
“[It] shows that small, close-knit units like ours have the drive, motivation and cadre leadership to build a tough program that can produce cadets with a strong work ethic and valuable leadership skills,” Cadet Lt. Col. Kayla Amsler, battalion commander, said.
The MacArthur Award represents all that MacArthur stood for, “duty, honor and country- those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you will be,” all of which the “Pride of PA” Battalion symbolizes.
The battalion was selected among 273 other universities nationwide and 41 schools within the 2nd Brigade.
Providing “the commitment of the university to establish an environment for the students to challenge themselves and for the faculty to establish leadership to ensure the students get the most out of their education, is what feeds this program,” Lt. Col. Bradley Nadig, a professor of military science, said. Nadig added that this award doesn’t just represent the Army side of the ROTC program but also the student academic side – ensuring that the cadets work extremely hard to grasp the high grades they do.
Although the cadre may agree that it is cadets who are greatly commendable for receieving this nationally recognized award, Amsler said she believes that it is also the contributions from the cadre, administration and staff, who have also helped develop the program through their “countless hours spent to continually develop our program and make it the best,” Amsler said.
“Those individuals always have time for the cadets; they support us to complete tasks and make decisions on our own, while constantly guiding and directing us if needed and they build our character and leadership qualities.”
As cadets continue to take the next step to commission as second lieutenants, and while new cadets join and commit to the “Pride of PA” team, support from Gannon, Mercyhurst and Penn State Behrend universities will continue to ensure the success of the “Pride of PA” Battalion and through the years to come, standing by the motto: “I will do my duty, train to lead!”
