Spring 2008
Captain’s Call:
It has been a busy year for NROTC San Diego. With almost 240 students, NROTC San Diego is one of the largest units in the country. The demographics of the battalion are quite unique. Our NROTC students attend one of the five San Diego area Universities: University of San Diego; San Diego State University; Point Loma Nazarene University; California State University San Marcus; or University of California San Diego. Over one third of the students are active duty Navy personnel who are part of the Seaman to Admiral enlisted commissioning program or active duty Marines participating in the Marine Enlisted College Education Program (MECEP). These active duty members are integrated into all facets of battalion life with our Midshipmen. Upon graduation these Officer Candidates, Marines, and Midshipmen are commissioned as Ensigns in the U.S. Navy or Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps.
Our NROTC students have been doing great! I recently handed out over 15 recognition certificates to students that achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. Another 60 students were recognized for achieving a 3.5 or better. Grades are not our only measure of success. Our mission is to develop students mentally, physically, and morally and provide them with the professional training so they are prepared to be commissioned as officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. As you will see from the articles below, we are doing just that.
This is the first time we are attempting an electronic news letter to our San Diego NROTC Family, Friends, and Alumni. We hope you will find this letter informative and as a means to connect with the unit. I know parents and spouses don’t always understand everything that is required of their NROTC student. This newsletter is intended to provide you with information about past and future events. For our alumni, I hope you will provide us with information about what you are doing. We are fortunate to have two alumni currently assigned as Officer Instructions on our staff: Lt Dawn Ricketts and Lt Bryan Geisert. This summer we will have a third alumnus join our team: CAPT Jason M. Ruedi, USMC. Lt Dawn Ricketts (USD Class of 2001) is our alumni relations officer. You can contact her at dawn.ricketts@sandiego.edu or (619)260-2289.
Captain Mark Woolley, USN,
Commanding Officer, NROTC San Diego
Executive Officer’s Corner:
Welcome to our first edition of the quarterly newsletter. We hope you find this informative and useful. This past December we commissioned three recent graduates as Second Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps and seven graduates as Ensigns in the United States Navy. On 25 April we held our annual Pass-In-Review Ceremony. This year the reviewing officer was Rear Admiral Ann DeBaets Gilbride, USNR, Associate Director of Naval Intelligence. We were honored to have RADM Gilbride as she is a 1978 graduate of the University of San Diego! Look for details on the ceremony in “The Status Board” on page 6. On May 23rd at 1000 we will commission another 40 graduates as Naval Officers. Prior to the ceremony, at 0800, in a memorial service, we will honor those NROTC San Diego graduates that have paid the ultimate sacrifice. We hope to see you at both of these events.
NROTC is a year-round program. Throughout the summer, we will have Midshipmen participating in summer training. Navy Midshipmen can expect to be assigned to ships, squadrons, or units around the world for 30 days. The Marines will participate in training at the Mountain Warfare Center or attend OCS in Quantico, Virginia. Our Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) Officer Candidates will attend school throughout the summer due to their program requirement to complete their degree within 3 years of reporting onboard. And our instructors are assigned Midshipmen embarkation responsibilities in San Diego and Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) orientation program responsibilities in Quantico.
Commander Daniel Garcia, USN
Executive Officer
Officers Call: (Battalion Commander’s Word)
The mission at NROTC San Diego is to produce strong ethical leaders capable of adapting to the world’s dynamic environment. As the battalion’s seniors get ready to begin their new lives as Officers serving in the Navy and Marine Corps, it will be the training that they received at the unit that will ensure their success in the fleet. The training environment at the unit has exposed the new Junior Officers to stressful situations that most college students haven’t experienced, such as weekly inspections, military knowledge exams, sailing qualifications, leadership & ethics classes, and this is just the beginning of the rigorous routine involved with becoming an Officer. The freshmen begin their journey towards becoming Officers as members of the drill team, and color guard. This experience teaches them about the unit’s high standards, and with the mentoring of the upperclassmen, the freshmen understand what is going to be expected of them to achieve success in the unit, and later in the fleet. I have no doubt as the Battalion Commander that our unit is at the tip of the spear, and our members, new and graduating, have received the training that will make them strong Officers. I look forward to serving with all in the fleet.
Battalion Commanding Officer
OC Crossgrove
NROTC CLUBS
SURFACE WARFARE (Adviser: LT Ricketts / President: OC Muela)
The Surface Warfare Club aims to expose midshipmen to the various platforms available to them in the surface navy. Throughout the semester the club has organized a multitude of ship tours including trips to the USS New Orleans, USS Chancellorsville, and USS Halsey. Lieutenant Ricketts has accompanied midshipmen to every tour and given each an opportunity to talk candidly to Surface Warfare Ensigns about the life aboard anyone of these vessels. Furthermore, the club is planning a short cruise to Imperial Beach later in the semester. Recently, this year’s graduates that will enter the Surface Warfare Community selected their ships! Prior to selecting their ships Rear Admiral Michael LeFever, Director Military Personnel Plans and Policy and Rear Admiral Philip Greene, Commander, Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, spoke to our future SWOs via Video Teleconference (VTC). We appreciate them taking time out of their busy schedules to share this exciting moment with our students. Recently selected Rear Admiral Dixon Smith, Commander Naval Base San Diego, arranged for our graduates who are selecting the surface warfare community to receive a complimentary Surface Navy Association (SNA) membership. We appreciate his efforts on our behalf.
(Photo: USS New Orleans)
SUBMARINE WARFARE (Adviser: LT Grouette / President: MIDN Sass)
Those midshipmen interested in serving beneath the sea can obtain a great deal of information from the Submarine Club. This semester the Submarine Club had the opportunity to host a luncheon with the commanding officer of the USS La Jolla, Commander Sampson. He fielded a variety of questions about submarine life and what is involved in the selection process. Lieutenant Grouette and Midshipman Sass are planning a luncheon with the Submarine Club on 13 May.
(Photo: USS La Jolla)
AVIATION WARFARE (Adviser: LT Clemente / President: MIDN Edwards)
The Aviation Club recently had the opportunity for some stick time in the new Cobra Helicopter simulators at Camp Pendleton much thanks to Col Michael Rocco father of 4th Class Midshipman Matthew Rocco. The Aviation Club gives midshipmen the opportunity to become better acquainted with the training and life of a Naval or Marine Corps Aviator. The club plans to host a question and answer session later in the semester with Lieutenant Ferrara and Lieutenant Clemente, two Naval Flight Officers from the University of San Diego Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. (Photo: MIDN O’Bannon in a T6 during summer training)
SPECIAL WARFARE (President: MIDN Crawford)
For those midshipmen interested in the Navy’s SEAL or Explosive Ordnance Disposal programs, the special warfare club hosts pool workouts to receive a taste of what to expect in each programs training. At each pool workout completed this semester midshipmen have worked on physical fitness, swim technique, underwater knot tying, and have had the opportunity to ask questions of the battalion’s prior enlisted SEAL officer candidates, Officer Candidate Simmons and Officer Candidate Nelson. The special warfare club participated as volunteers in the Super frog triathlon on April 6th this semester.
SEMPER FI (Adviser: MSGT Anderson / President: MIDN Chiriboga)
Semper Fi is the athletic group that is comprised of active duty Marines and Marine option midshipmen. They meet every Tuesday and Thursday for a combined exercise routine that includes, running, upper and lower body training, as well as a mix of physical activities designed to ensure the participants grow in strength and stamina. Many of their exercises are meant to ready them for the strenuous training they will encounter at officer candidate school. Some of the various exercises include running around Fiesta Island, 7 miles, the obstacle course, pool events, and multi mile hikes called humps. All manner of pushups, pull-ups, and core body training are continually included to ensure that every member is in a constant state of strong physical fitness. (Photo: Marines and Marine Option Midshipmen on a Semper Fi Hump)
NURSING (Advisor: LT Geisert / President: MIDN Hayes)
The Nursing Club is one of our newest clubs in the battalion. Due to the specific requirements and responsibilities that nurses take on, NROTC San Diego has initiated a club that will help to better foster these skills. It is an exciting time because we are working with Naval Medical Center San Diego to get Junior Officer Mentors assigned to each of our 14 Nurse Option Midshipmen and OC’s. The Nursing Club visited the Medical Department on USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) on February 19th, where they were able to interact with a Senior Nurse Corps Officer for over two hours. There will be future tours of medical facilities this semester that will also provide opportunities for interested Nursing Faculty and students from our universities to attend. (Photo: Nursing club visits the Medical Department aboard the USS Ronald Reagan)
RECRUITING TEAM (Advisor: LT Ferrara / President: OC Patnode)
The Recruiting Team aims to recruit the best possible candidates for the NROTC program. They talk to prospective students about NROTC life and requirements, and career opportunities in the Navy and Marine Corps. This year they have participated in numerous events including high school visits, campus tours, JROTC drill meets, prospective student events, and grandparent’s weekend. They have also attended multi-cultural events such as the Hispanic Engineers Conference. Our nine volunteers acted as engineering team leads/project managers for over 400 Hispanic high school students with an interest in engineering, our exact target audience! They were able to interact in groups of about ten, answering questions, providing guidance, and acting as mentors for these aspiring engineers. During Explore SDSU weekend we managed to get a boat from Maritime Security Squadron TWO on campus. It was one of the main student organization attractions…even the Army ROTC cadets came over for a look! (Photo: Recruiting team members at Explore SDSU)
SAILING TEAM (Advisor: LT Geisert / President: OC Bodenhafer)
This is also the first semester the unit has had a sailing team in many years. All of our Navy Midshipmen are required to qualify as “Mate A” and “Skipper B” prior to graduation. The focus of the team is to take the skills from Mate A and Skipper B Sailing Qualifications and foster them into an environment for growth in seamanship, rules of the road, and small unit leadership. The Sailing Team hosted their first event on 29 February where 24 members of the battalion sailed on five 25’ and 27’ boats out of Fiddler’s Cove to go sailing for an afternoon. The Sailing Team is also actively practicing their skills every Wednesday night when they participate in the local races held out of the Coronado Yacht Club. In March we had our first battalion regatta. Although Captain Woolley and Midshipman Lanham were in the lead, their assumed victory was upset when a fairlead for their jib gave way. This semester the Sailing Team will host another Regatta in April to put our skills to the test. WE WELCOME CHALLENGES FROM OTHER NROTC UNITS! BRING IT DOWN AND BRING IT ON!!! (Photo: Sailing day 29 Feb 08)
DRILL TEAM (Platoon Commander: MIDN Ioane)
On Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings you will find Drill Team meticulously practicing their skills for the next opportunity to display them to the community. This semester they had the opportunity to participate in the Southern California Invitational Drill Meet in Anaheim, California. They did an outstanding job and were ranked 8 out of 22. They also performed flawlessly at the unit’s annual Pass-In-Review ceremony in April and plan on executing a four man performance at the San Diego Yacht Club and the Cal State San Marcos Memorial Day ceremony. (Photo: Form left to right, MIDN Ioane, MIDN Entzminger, MIDN Potter, MIDN Zeid)
COLOR GUARD (Platoon Commander: MIDN Wilmarth)
Color Guard has been extremely busy this semester with a variety of details. During the USD Torero’s bracket-shaking season, a multitude of midshipmen were present at home games to present our nation’s colors. These games were held in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on USD’s campus and always drew a substantial crowd of fans. In addition to supporting the basketball games, and over 50 community, college and high school events, the Color Guard tested its skills in the judged Southern California Invitational Drill Meet competition, and proudly displayed the colors at the Joint ROTC Ball and the unit’s annual Pass-In-Review ceremony in April.
(Photo: left to right, MIDN Cowles, MIDN O’Bannon, MIDN Leonard, MIDN Elwood, MIDN Roddy)
THE STATUS BOARD
Pass in Review
On Friday April 25th, NROTC Unit held our annual Pass in Review and awards ceremony. This event recognized outstanding students and honored our host universities, the local community and NROTC San Diego benefactors.
Rear Admiral Ann Gilbride, Associate Director of Naval Intelligence and University of San Diego class of 1978 was the guest of honor and reviewing officer for the Pass in Review. We were also honored to have RADM Len Hering, Commander Navy Region Southwest; Brigadier General Angela Salinas, Commanding General Marine Corps Recruit Depot / Western Region; Dr. Mary Lyons, President University of San Diego and Dr. Joyce Gattas, Dean School of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, San Diego State University.
A highlight of the ceremony was the four-man NROTC expeditionary drill team performance. Their presentation displayed smartly executed drill maneuvers with rifles that drew applause multiple times throughout the show. After marching past the reviewing officers, NROTC’s brightest and most inspiring future leaders received a variety of recognitions. These awards were presented by RADM Gilbride, RADM Hering, and BGen Salinas, CAPT Woolley, and numerous benefactors. The awards ranged from medals of achievement to military officer swords and scholarships. (Photo: Battalion marching at Pass in Review)
Bone Marrow Drive
In addition to participating in club events and drill team/color guard practices, our students have been busy helping out the community. One known well to USD students is our bone marrow drive, organized by Officer Candidate Christina Myers. Volunteers over a period of a few days on three different campuses set up tables to register college students, faculty members and staff to be potential donors for bone marrow transplants. The process was quick and painless, involving a simple swab of the inside of the potential donor’s cheek. This ease of registration lent itself to almost 450 potential donors registering in the Bone Marrow data base. But that was not the only thing going on that week…here is a snapshot of the events during the same week we had the Bone Marrow drive: (Photo: Bone Marrow Drive at USD)
Battalion Drill
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
PAST AND OPENING
Summer Orientation August 2007
Fleet Week Aboard USS THATCH September 2007
Halloween 2007 Field Meet
Navy & Marine Corps Birthday Ball November 2007
Commissioning Ceremony aboard USS PELELIU December 2007
RECOGNITIONS
THREE NEW SCHOLARSHIPS ESTABLISHED
Scholarship Established in Memory of LTJG Laura Mankey, USN, USD Class of 2003
On January 26th, 2007 NROTC San Diego lost beloved alumnus LTJG Laura Mankey in a Navy helicopter training crash. In her honor, her husband, LT Jeff Mankey, has established a scholarship in her memory. The scholarship will benefit a student in the NROTC program, a program she loved so much during her time with it. NROTC San Diego is grateful to LT Jeff Mankey for honoring Laura’s memory with this gift. It will truly help another outstanding midshipman, much like Laura, continue through the program.
(Photo: LTJG Laura Mankey and LT Jeff Mankey)
Whalen Family Endowed Scholarship
Patricia and Robert Whalen have generously donated a scholarship to be awarded to a Navy Seaman to Admiral-21 (STA-21) Program and/or a Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) NROTC student. The recipient(s) must demonstrate strong moral character and selfless service to the U.S. Naval Service and the community. NROTC San Diego would like to express sincere appreciation to Pat and Robert Whalen for their contribution and support of our Naval and Marine Corps students.
(Photo: Maj Aaron Shelley, Pat Whalen, OC Ricardo Fiske, Capt Mark Woolley, Robert Whalen)
Admiral Zumwalt Scholarship
We are proud to announce the establishment of the Admiral Zumwalt Leadership Scholarship. This scholarship will benefit an NROTC student who has demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership, strong moral character and selfless devotion to the U.S. Naval Service and community. The awardee must also demonstrate in writing an acceptable knowledge of Admiral Zumwalt’s career, his inspiring leadership style, and qualities which enabled him to become the youngest Chief of Naval Operations in our nation’s history at age 49.
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR $500 USAA SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
WHO ARE YOUR - STAFF?
LT Ferrara arrived at NROTC San Diego in October of 2005. Since then he has had the pleasure of seeing a class develop from young midshipmen to commissioned officers. At the unit he serves as the Freshman Officer instructor and helps with recruiting for NROTC at a large sum of local high schools. He is originally from Marlton, New Jersey, a suburb of Philadelphia. When he isn’t working hard at the unit he enjoys eating Italian food, listening to some indie rock, and occasionally watching his favorite movie, Stand by Me. Just recently he was selected for the Colonel Leo A. Codd Memorial Award. ROTC instructors from all over the country are nominated and observed in their teaching environments. LT Ferrara was honored as the top NROTC Instructor in the nation.
WHO ARE YOUR - BATTALION?
Midshipmen come from all over the country to be a part of NROTC San Diego. MIDN 3/C Alicia McCullar comes from the Lone Star state itself, more specifically a little town called Lubbock. She is currently a motivated member of her platoon within the battalion. A true Texan one of her favorite food combinations is chili and cornbread. You will most often find her listening to Dave Matthews Band or watching her favorite movie, American Gangster. She arrived at this unit and Fall of 2006 and is currently still working hard towards a commission in the Spring of 2010.
THE OLD SALT CORNER: ALUMNI NEWS
LT Dawn Ricketts was commissioned in 2002 through the Seaman to Admiral Program. After attending Surface Warfare Officer School, she reported to USS STETHEM (DDG 63) as the Combat Information Center Officer. Following a successful first tour, she reported to USS PEARL HARBOR (LSD 52) as the training officer. She returned to NROTC San Diego during the summer of 2007 and is currently the Senior Class and SWO Club Advisor. E-mail: dawn.ricketts@sandiego.edu
LT Bryan Geisert was commissioned in 2002 through the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program. After completing his first successful Division Officer tour onboard USS MILIUS (DDG 69) he reported for Nuclear Power training in Charleston, SC. His next assignment was as Reactor Electrical Division Officer on USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76). He returned to NROTC San Diego in July 2007 and is currently the San Diego State Assistant OIC, Nursing Club and Sailing Team Advisor. E-mail: bgeisert@sandiego.edu
Alumni, we would love to hear from you and include you in the next newsletter. Please e-mail: sdnrotc.webmaster@gmail.com with updates.
FRIENDS ALUNMI COMMUNITY TEAM (FACT)
We are trying to compile a list of NROTC San Diego Alumni and are looking for an Alumni that is in the area (and will be for sometime) to organize an NROTC San Diego Friends and Alumni Community Team (FACT). If you are interested in volunteering to organize such an effort please contact Lt Dawn Ricketts at 619-260-2289.
Constant Bearing Decreasing Range (CBDR):
UPCOMING EVENTS
MAY
2 May – Senior Dining In
6 May – Final Drill
23 May – Spring Commissioning Ceremony
JUNE
3/C Midshipmen begin East Coast CORTRAMID
2/C and 1/C Midshipmen leave for Summer Cruise
BATTALION CONTACT INFORMATION:
Marine Corps Officer Instructor:
moisdsu@sandiego.edu
Senior Officer Instructor:
senioroi@sandiego.edu
Junior Officer Instructor:
junioroi@sandiego.edu
Sophomore Officer Instructor:
sophomoreoi@sandiego.edu
Freshman Officer Instructor:
freshmanoi@sandiego.edu
Administration Office: (619) 260-4811
Visit our Website at: http://www.sandiego.edu/nrotc/
To receive this newsletter via e-mail, send an e-mail to: sdnrotc.webmaster@gmail.com