MTSU celebrates ROTC program’s 75th anniversary with April 10 event

U.S. Army Maj. Jacob Page, left, and Middle Tennessee State University alumnus and retired U.S. Army Col. Rickey Smith hold a State of Tennessee proclamation to be shared at the upcoming 75th anniversary of the MTSU ROTC program Thursday, April 10, at the MTSU Veterans Memorial site, 628 Alma Mater Drive, on campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The public is invited to the event, which begins at 11 a.m. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It is an event 75 years in the making.

Middle Tennessee State University’s highly regarded ROTC program will celebrate its 75^th anniversary at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 10, at the Veterans Memorial site outside the Tom H. Jackson Building, 628 Alma Mater Drive. In the event of rain, the ceremony will into Cantrell Hall in the Jackson building.

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP by Monday, April 7, by emailing Nancy Garner at Nancy.Garner@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-2294.

A collection of memorabilia is part of a time capsule that will be placed into the ground as part of the 75th anniversary for the Middle Tennessee State University Military Science ROTC program, starting at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 10, at the MTSU Veterans Memorial site outside the Tom H. Jackson Building, 628 Alma Mater Drive. A time capsule from the ROTC Class of 2005 will be dug up on April 9 and shown to attendees during the ceremony. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Parking will be available in Alumni Mater Drive and Voorhies Engineering Technology lots near the event site. Additional parking will be available at the Bell Street lot near Middle Tennessee Boulevard. From there, visitors can walk to the event site.

The event will include the induction of Joseph M. “Jay” Harmon III and Meg Kelm into the MTSU ROTC Hall of Fame.

Harmon is the former deputy to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence. Kelm is director for counterintelligence, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Retired Col. Rickey Smith — Rickey E. Smith

“The 75^th anniversary is the recognition of serving the nation,” said retired U.S. Army Col. Rickey Smith, the last member inducted into the hall of fame. “MTSU has provided over 1,600 officers to serve the nation.” Smith is part of the committee planning the event.

“We are excited to invite back MTSU’s ROTC Alumni and supporters as we celebrate 75 years of Army ROTC at MTSU,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Arlin Wilsher, professor of military science who leads the program.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Arlin Wilsher, professor of military science — Lt. Col. Arlin Wilsher

“MTSU’s ROTC program has immeasurably affected the Army through it’s constant training and mentoring of leaders who have gone on to prominent positions in the Active Army, the Tennessee National Guard and the Army Reserves,” Wilsher added. “This is a great opportunity to pause and recognize these great achievements, even while we continue the training of the next generation of Leaders who will continue this legacy of excellence.”

MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes will provide welcome and other remarks.

Alumnus and retired Maj. Gen. Max Haston will give the history of the ROTC program, which began in 1950. ROTC is an acronym for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

Two time capsules will be part of the ceremonies, one that was buried in 2005 and retrieved Wednesday, April 9, and the other that will be buried April 10.

George Jouny, the current ROTC cadet battalion commander, will read a proclamation from the state of Tennessee, recognizing the anniversary and the fact the program has twice been No. 1 in the nation and the origin for the MTSU Aerospace Department and flight training.

In addition to the hall of fame inductions of Harmon and Kelm by Smith, Smith will announce the name of an ROTC alumnus being nominated for the National ROTC Hall of Fame.

Along with Smith, the other MTSU ROTC Hall of Fame members, all retired, include Lt. Col. Robert D. Ogg Sr. (Class of 1953), Col. Raymond C. Smith (’53), Col. James E. Stone (’59), Col. Thomas M. Reeves (’63), Lt. Col. John Furgess (’65), Lt. Col. Robert Hardison Jr. (’67), and Col. Chester M. Waggoner (’66),

MTSU general officers, all retired, expected to attend include Lt. Gen. Bill Phillips, Brig. Gens. Les Fuller, Pat O’Neal and David Ogg, and Maj. Gen. James “Jim” Miles.

Following the ceremony, a reception featuring a sheet cake with a military sword will be held in Cantrell Hall in the Jackson Building.

For more information, call Smith at 703-489-5176 or email him at resmith2239@gmail.com.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)