UC Ceremony Marks a Military Milestone

Ceremonial cannon fire rang out from the University of Cincinnati's Sheakley Athletics Center on Friday, April 1, as part of a military tradition that served to highlight a UC Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) centennial celebration.

The on-campus ceremony served to mark the fact that the nation will observe the 100th anniversary of the United States Military ROTC on June 3, 2016. The university is marking the 99th anniversary of the UC Army ROTC this April.

This past Friday, at Sheakley Athletics Center, UC Army and Air Force ROTC faculty members, student veterans, UC administration and a ceremonial 45-piece band gathered for an afternoon of celebration and the announcement of two former UC military service members for nomination into the ROTC Hall of Fame.

Edward S. Smith

, retired UC faculty member and former commissioned officer in the Army Reserve, and

Major General (Ret) Dennis E. Lutz

, Eng ’73, UC ROTC alumnus, were named as the 2016 UC Army ROTC Hall of Fame nominees for their significant U.S. and UC ROTC military contributions.

Presiding over the festivities was Provost Beverly Davenport, acting on behalf of President Santa J. Ono. Speakers included UC’s Lt. Col. Jason Bender, UC Army ROTC and professor of military science; and UC’s Lt. Col. Tyler Moore, UC Air Force ROTC and professor of aerospace studies. 

First established in April 1917 as the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) and Military Department under the then College of Engineering –– following the entrance of the United States into the First World War –– UC’s SATC later evolved into the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) in January 1920.

Several years later, UC’s Military Department was renamed as the Department of Military Science and moved under the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences where it has remained.

The April 1 event at UC also included a promotion ceremony for one of the Army ROTC faculty members, Capt. Carey McIntyre, assistant professor of military science who was promoted from captain to major.

More information about the

University of Cincinnati Army and Air Force ROTC