Valley Forge Military College ROTC Commissions 36 U.S. Army Second Lieutenants

Thirty-six cadets took the oath of office and were officially appointed second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a Commissioning Ceremony on Saturday, May 10 in the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion.

These cadets earned their associates degree and completed four years of Army officer training in two years through Valley Forge Military College’s Army ROTC and PA National Guard Early Commissioning Programs. VFMC is one of only four institutions in the United States that have the authority to commission officers in this matter.

“Just remember everything you’ve invested to see the transformation of you all from where you showed up two years ago to where you are in such a short time,” said Col. Stuart B. Helgeson, USMC (Ret), President of VFMC. “I hope the parents have had a chance to see the same transformation. But now you’ve got to keep it going and you will. That’s what leadership’s about.”

COL Rich Anderson, currently a student at the US Army War College, served as the honorary speaker for the ceremony.

“You join a long line of Americans who chose service when you didn’t have to,” COL Anderson said. “At Valley Forge, that carries a special weight. Not far from here, a group of young soldiers once endured a winter that tested every conviction they held. What carried them through wasn’t comfort or certainty. It was for a purpose. Today, you inherit that same tradition of stepping forward when it matters.”