BUCKNELL, Pennsylvania –
Marking the 100th year of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program, Defense Logistics Agency Distribution commander Army Brig. Gen. Richard Dix commissioned 19 new 2nd lieutenants from the Bison Battalion at Bucknell University.
During his remarks, Dix reminded the cadets to thank those whose shoulders they stand on during their graduation – their parents, family, friends, professors, teachers, and mentors.
Asking the cadets if they knew why Francis Scott Key ended the national anthem with a question mark, Dix reminded them that at any given moment, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines serving so that we can continue to be a free country.
Dix talked about the importance of the pinning ceremony the cadets were about to experience, and how they would be continuing an important military legacy created by President Woodrow Wilson.
The history of the Bison Battalion dates back to 1862, with the formation of the Bucknell Guard to fight in the American Civil War. During the Korean War, Bucknell University petitioned the Department of Defense to establish an official ROTC unit on campus. The unit began in 1951, and commissioned its first officer in 1952. Five schools now make up the Battalion, including Bucknell University, Susquehanna University, Bloomsburg University, Lycoming College, and Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The new lieutenants join 2,176 others who have gone before them in the Bison Batallion to become part of the ranks of the future leaders of the active United States Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve.