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HARVARD YARD, 6 June 2007 -- Harvard's Kaneb Professor of National Security and Military Affairs Stephen Rosen addressed the ROTC graduates, military leaders and assembled guests at the annual Commissioning Ceremony for Harvard's graduating ROTC students. At the ceremony in Harvard Yard's Tercentenary Theatre, one Army cadet, 9 Navy midshipmen and one Air Force cadet received their commissions.
Prof. Rosen noted that the graduating ROTC students chose military service in 2003, when serving in combat was not an abstraction. "Harvard honors public service, but is uneasy with national military service, because it is uneasy with war, and with warriors" he said. "We all wish to avoid war, none more so than the men and women who must confront the face of war directly. We welcome students and faculty from around the world. But the United States is our country. Without the United States, there would be no Harvard, and we should never forget that." He also noted that the president of Harvard addressed the audience at this event in each of the past 5 years (2002 2003 2004 2005 2006), leaving unsaid the absence of Acting-President Derek Bok and President-Elect Drew G. Faust. (Both were invited but declined to attend).
LTC Leo McGonagle, Professor of Military Science at MIT and leader of the Army ROTC Brigade in which Harvard students serve, noted that there was some presidential involvement in Commissioning this year - Midshipman Erik Sand was one of 58 ROTC students commissioned on 17 May at a White House ceremony in which President George W. Bush said "All of you have made many sacrifices to receive your commission. Yet some of you have had to endure even greater hardships -- because your universities do not allow ROTC on campus. For those of you in this position, this can require long commutes several times a week to another campus that does offer ROTC, so you can attend a military class, participate in a drill. Most of all, it means living a split existence -- where your life as a cadet or midshipmen is invisible to most of your fellow students. Every American citizen is entitled to his or her opinion about our military. But surely the concept of diversity is large enough to embrace one of the most diverse institutions in American life. It should not be hard for our great schools of learning to find room to honor the service of men and women who are standing up to defend the freedoms that make the work of our universities possible. To the cadets and midshipmen who are graduating from a college or university that believes ROTC is not worthy of a place on campus, here is my message: Your university may not honor your military service, but the United States of America does. And in this, the people's house, we will always make a place for those who wear the uniform of our country." LTC McGonagle said "I sincerely hope that people were listening, and that the president's message was received".
Members of Advocates for Harvard ROTC and the Harvard ROTC Alumni Fund were thanked for their support of ROTC and the Commissioning Ceremony.
Receiving an Army commission was Second Lieutenant Robert Huefner; Second Lieutenant Jukay Hsu was commissioned on 13 April 2007. Receiving Navy commissions were Second Lieutenant John Cancian (USMC), and Ensigns Donald M. Coates, Erika E. Helbling, Patrick Morrissey, Erik Sand, Meredith Ellen Sandberg, Jonathan Sieg, Danielle Thiriot and Aaron Woodside. Receiving an Air Force commission was Second Lieutenant Lauren L. Brown.
(click photos for more detail)
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