Photo By Chief Petty Officer Amanda Kitchner | COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Dec. 13, 2019) – Commander, Naval Service Training Command...... read more read more
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (NNS) – Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) visited the Texas A&M University Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) unit to tour the site and commission 18 of A&M’s newest Naval officers, Dec. 13.
The Naval officer commissioning ceremony differs slightly from unit to unit; A&M’s ceremony consists of the graduating midshipmen taking their oath of office, guided by a senior officer or guest, and then friends and family revealing or pinning their rank on their uniform.
“If you’re not looking for easy, if you want to serve as something bigger than yourself, if you want to live a life of significance which is defined as a life where you positively impact, advantage, and shape the lives of others, then you’re in the right place today. You made the right decision,” said Sands, addressing the young officers during the commissioning ceremony before swearing them in. “I’m tremendously excited for each one of you. You’re about to join a magnificent group of men and women. You will become members of our profession of arms; forged through shared adversity, confident in your abilities, and sustained by your conviction that you can face any challenge.”
After their oath, the newly-appointed officers will then receive their first salute. This is rendered by an enlisted or retired enlisted Sailor or Marine of the officer’s choosing, who impacted them in some way and that they feel great respect for. This courtesy signifies their transition from a midshipman in training to a ranked officer, a tradition stemming from the U.S. Army dating back early in the 19th century.
“I’ve been working towards this for as long as I can remember,” said Ensign Joseph Clayburne, one of the 18 officers Sands commissioned during the ceremony. “Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to fly. As I got older and looked into the different branches of service, I decided that the U.S. Navy was the best place for that. Having Rear Adm. Sands here to commission us is a huge honor, one that isn’t usually given to commissioning officers, and I’m extremely excited and thankful he was here for this. I’m excited to see where this career takes me.”
While visiting for the commissioning ceremony, Sands and NSTC Command Master Chief, Master Chief Petty Officer Jimmy Hailey III, met with the unit’s leadership to discuss trends in accessions, how to better improve diversity and opportunity within the NROTC program, and standardization of mission goals and priorities. Following these meetings, Sands was the guest speaker and commissioning officer of 18 Navy and Marine midshipmen, starting their officer careers.
The NROTC program is overseen by Rear Adm. Jamie Sands and his Naval Service Training Command staff at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. NROTC was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and core values in order to commission college graduates as Navy and Marine Corps officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the uniformed services and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC also includes Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp also at Naval Station Great Lakes, the Navy ROTC program at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command (OTC) Newport, Rhode Island, and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.
For more information about NROTC, visit www.nrotc.navy.mil
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https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/nstc/index.aspx
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2019 13:38 |
| Story ID: | 355738 |
| Location: | COLLEGE STATION, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 350 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NSTC Commander Commissions Texas A&M NROTC Midshipmen, by CPO Amanda Kitchner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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