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Army ROTC Cadets listening to Brigadier General Jesse Morehouse’s speech at the Spring 2024 AROTC Commissioning Ceremony on May 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of the Golden Buffalo Battalion.

The Golden Buffalo Battalion – Alpha company of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps commissioned eight CU-Boulder graduates as officers into the U.S. Army. The ceremony was held in Hale Sciences and not the traditional location of the Old Main Chapel due to the massive restoration/construction project that is being conducted on the original building on campus. All commissioning Cadets with their family and friends joined the ACO Cadre and Staff along with various dignitaries across the CU-Boulder campus and U.S. Army personnel on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. to conduct the ceremony. For those unable to attend, the ceremony was also presented via a Zoom Meeting.

The officer in charge of the ceremony was the Alpha Company Senior Assistant Professor of Military Science Captain Chris Head. LTC Lynae Place gave the introductory remarks and CPT Chris Head gave the Invocation. Cadet Claire Fleckenstein (MSIII) was the emcee for the event with the assistance of Cadet Marley Pethica (MSII). This year’s guest speaker was Brigadier General Jesse Morehouse, the current Mobilization Assistant to the J-5 at U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs. His speech commended the soon to be Second Lieutenants for the path they have chosen and the responsibilities that lay ahead of them. He passed on his own experiences when he was a young Second Lieutenant and reminded these new leaders to take care of the troops they will be in charge of and most importantly – to take care of themselves.

 Eight Cadets getting ready to be commissioned as Second Lieutenant’s into the U.S. Army on May 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of the Golden Buffalo Battalion.

Three Cadets were sworn in by a ranking friend or family member and the other five Cadets were sworn in as Second Lieutenants with the Oath of Office being administered by CPT Chris Head. After the oath for each 2LT, they had their rank pinned onto their uniform by chosen family members or friends. And the final act of commissioning was to give the first “Silver Dollar Salute” to a Non-Commissioned Officer of their choosing.

The eight Cadets that are now officially Second Lieutenant’s in the United States Army, are as follows (alphabetical order):
1.    2LT Matthew Biesiada – from Parker, Colorado, majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and commissioned into Infantry
2.    2LT Brenton Carver – from Cookeville, Tennessee, majored in Psychology and commissioned into Quartermaster
3.    2LT John D’Agostino – from Tampa, Florida, majored in Political Science and commissioned into Ordnance
4.    2LT Liam McDermott – from Woodstock, Connecticut, majored in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Management and commissioned into Infantry
5.    2LT Benjamin Morehart – from Austin, Texas, majored in Psychology and commissioned into Aviation
6.    2LT Scott Smith – from Manhasset, New York, majored in Environmental Studies and commissioned into Military Intelligence
7.    2LT Dylan Uren – from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, majored in International Affairs and commissioned into Ordnance
8.    2LT William Vlad – from Croton on Hudson, New York, obtaining a masters in Business Administration and commissioned into Medical Services

Congratulations to our new Second Lieutenants. May your new experiences with the U.S. Army be as rich and fulfilling as they were here at CU-Boulder.

Army ROTC Spring 2024 Commissionees [from left to right]: 2LT Biesiada, 2LT Smith, 2LT Carver (holding sword), 2LT Uren, 2LT D’Agostino, 2LT McDermott, and 2LT Vlad (2LT Morehart not pictured). Photo courtesy of the Golden Buffalo Battalion.