Official Newsletter of

The University of Alabama Army ROTC

Winter 2008

Professor of Military Science: MAJ Dan Clark

Headquarters: Bureau of Mines Building (“The BOM”), northeast corner of the Quad

Crimson Tide Battalion Commissions 8 in Fall 2007. We’re on track to commission at least 17 Second Lieutenants this year to make 5 straight years of making or exceeding our mission. We commissioned Matt Owen (Chemical) in October. In December we commissioned Jeffrey Bamberg (Military Police), Joshua Klaehn (Military Intelligence), Tony Koh (Ordnance), Lakesha Lee (Medical Services), Calvin Madison (Engineer), Daniel Meadows (Finance), and Eric Parks (Aviation). Our Presiding Officer and Distinguished Guest Speaker was MG Joe Harkey, 167th Theater Support Command (AL ARNG). The December commissioning ceremony was held in The Gallery of Smith Hall (Alabama Museum of Natural History). Henceforth we plan to hold all commissioning ceremonies there.

Farewell to 2LTs Russell McAllister, Justin Candelaria, Christopher Clark, Jon Dildine, Tony Koh, Ms. Phoebe Heidelburg, MAJ Gary Brock, and Mrs. Angela Wilkerson. All of the 2LTs served as Gold Bar Recruiters during the late summer, fall or winter months before departing for their Basic Officer Leader Course II (BOLC II) OBC. Ms. Heidelburg transferred to UA-Birmingham in December. MAJ Brock transferred to the 167th Theater Support Command (AL ARNG) in Birmingham in January. Mrs. Wilkerson (Supply Tech) transferred to her new position as the new 9th ROTC Brigade Logistics Specialist in February.

Welcome to our new staff members. We’re delighted to report that MAJ Kendrick Traylor (AL ARNG) will remain on board as a permanent contractor APMS. MAJ James Lake (commissioned by Marion Military Institute and a 1997 UA alumnus) reported 1 Dec 07 as our new S3 and MS3 instructor. MSG (Ret) Daniel Gronke reports in mid-April as our new contractor Human Resource Specialist. In early summer MSG Michael Dunfee will replace retiring MSG James Shamlee. We are awaiting assignment orders on three new staff members this spring or by early summer. Of note, MAJ John Dollar redeployed home safely from Iraq in December and rejoined our staff in January; the Student Government Association passed a resolution welcoming him back to the Capstone.

Contracted enrollment is stable and expected to increase next year. We had 62 contracted cadets in Fall 2007, commissioned 8, and have contracted 2 more to put us at 56 now. We expect to contract up to 5 more this semester as they complete prerequisites. A third of our contracted cadets made the Dean’s List in Fall 07 and overall our cadets posted a 3.10 semester GPA. We expect our high retention and strong recruiting trends to push us above 75 contracted cadets by October. We already have 14 inbound 4-year scholarship winners for August and are awaiting acceptance for 7 more pending offers.

We Were Soldiers (WWS) Leadership Symposium: In mid-October the Student Government Association and Army ROTC co-sponsored the WWS featuring COL (Ret) Greg “Matt” Dillon of our own Class of 1956. He served as S3 (Operations Officer) with then-LTC Hal Moore at the epic Battle of the Ia Drang in November 1965. COL Dillon provided a superb synopsis of events leading up to the battle and how the fight unfolded. He showed several video clips of the movie, We Were Soldiers, and answered many questions from the audience of several hundred students and faculty members. COL Dillon and his wife, Linda, stayed for the weekend, attending the President’s Pre-Game Luncheon and the game against Tennessee. COL Dillon lettered in track at UA and is a member of the A Club. Before the game the Athletic Department honored COL Dillon at mid-field and the Navy provided a two-aircraft fly-over. The Dillons enjoyed the entire event, especially the glorious thrashing the Tide laid on the Volunteers!

Preparation for Summer 2008 training is underway. This summer at least 17 cadets will attend Warrior Forge (Advanced Camp) at Fort Lewis, Washington and many will attend Cadet Troop Leader Training. We anticipate sending several cadets to the Leader Training Course (Basic Camp) at Fort Knox, plus more to Airborne and Air Assault School this summer. One MS2 will attend a Cultural Internship program in Panama.

Training Update: On 23 Feb we conducted a battlefield staff ride to Chickamauga hosted by Park Historian James Ogden. A total of 27 seniors from Army and Air Force ROTC participated. We will conduct Viking Tornado 2008 with several other departments at Camp McCain, MS 28 Feb – 2 Mar 08 to prepare our MS3s for LDAC. On 29 March we will conduct our McKinley Marksmanship Competition at our off-campus training site near Cottondale. Mr. John McKinley’s gracious provision of supplemental scholarships to our top marksmen makes this a wonderful event for cadets.

Capital Campaign Continues. We hope our alumni will make a tax-deductible gift to the Crimson Tide of the Army Society (CTAS). This program support account generates interest to fund educational projects (battlefield staff rides) and alumni activities that the Army will not or cannot fund. We urge alumni and new 2LTs to consider an initial pledge of $500 ($100 over 5 years); many have given and we sincerely appreciate their (your) support and generosity. Every gift makes our Corps of Cadets stronger.

Of interest, this year’s CTAS interest made it possible for us to automate our two downstairs classrooms with ceiling-mounted projectors and laptop docking stations. It also paid for our Chickamauga staff ride. We’ll roll the left-over interest back into the CTAS to fund projects next year.

To make your gift: Click on http://www.ua.edu/giving.html and then click on “Make a Gift Online” in the lower left menu. Once in, click on “Crimson Tide of the Army Society” in the first drop-down window and click on “Program Support” in the second. All major credit cards are accepted. Again, every gift made to the CTAS is tax-deductible! Please consider a gift to our Corps of Cadets this year.

“Alabama Corps of Cadets” Art Print Update. Our art print project to commemorate our 150th anniversary in 2010 is on hold until we find a new artist. The previously-identified artist agreed to advise the project at no cost and his assistance has proven extremely valuable. The BG John C.C. Sanders Memorial Committee—chartered specifically to honor the Corps of Cadets—will still sponsor it. We hope to find a new artist by early summer and continue forward with this important project of significant interest to the entire UA community.

Changes on Campus: If you’ve visited the Capstone lately you’ve noticed significant changes. Hackberry Drive now swings around the mammoth Shelby Hall complex. The new Science Center is taking shape next to Shelby Hall. A large number of new dorms and fraternity houses are rising on opposite ends of the campus. The old rugby field is now a large parking lot. And it’s no secret that the final addition to Bryant-Denny Stadium is being planned—no date yet, but inevitable.

Homecoming 2008. We will host our 4th Alumni Base Camp on 1 November when Alabama hosts Arkansas State. (My supervisor at Fort Knox this summer is the PMS at Arkansas State so we’ll have plenty to argue about in advance.) We’ll post more on homecoming in early fall as plans develop.

DEPLOYED? Email MAJ Clark at dnclark@bama.ua.edu with your full mailing address in theater. Occasionally local groups and citizens contact us about mailing care packages to our alumni. Many alumni have received them and relate that it brightened their day.

Please Check the Bama Cadet Website! We encourage all alumni to periodically visit the CTAB alumni website at http://www.bamacadet.com to update their information and check for new information and events. Mike Hackney (Class of 1979) keeps it updated between his travels and tracks alumni email correspondence. We greatly enjoy hearing from alumni through Bama Cadet.

REFERRALS: We welcome all prospect referrals! If you know college-bound students, please tell them about Army ROTC. Encourage sharp young NCOs in your units to submit a Green to Gold packet. For Soldiers getting out for college or sharp ones in your Army Reserve or Army National Guard units, tell them about our SMP option. More is posted on our website or at www.armyrotc.com. Please direct referrals to MAJ Summers at cjsummers@bama.ua.edu or (205) 348-1056.

We invite your input! We invite you to stop by and visit us in the Bureau of Mines Bldg 1 (BOM 1) whenever you’re on campus for whatever reason. We also encourage you to visit our website at http://www.bama.ua.edu/~armyrotc/.

SEE Y’ALL AT HOMECOMING!! GO BAMA!! ROLL TIDE!!

For More Information, Contact: ROTC Secretary lhigginb@bama.ua.edu 205-348-5917 | Disclaimer | University of Alabama