GMC News

Twenty-one GMC Junior College cadets received their commissioning into the U.S. Army as second lieutenants on Saturday, May 31, 2:00 p.m., in the Goldstein Center for the Performing Arts. They are: 2LT Richard Alvelo, 2LT James Barrett, 2LT Bakara Beard, 2LT Alexander Bueler, 2LT Anthony Castiglione, 2LT Marcus Cherry, 2LT James Downs, 2LT Jordan Ford, 2LT Trenton Frank, 2LT Marcus Green, 2LT Cameron Hewett, 2LT Howard Lane, 2LT Joseph Matteoni, 2LT Jesse Middleton,2LT Jarquez Payne, 2LT Stuart Prettel, 2LT Jamie Robin, 2LT Austin Servick, 2LT Angel Tua-Aviles, 2LT Zachary Watson, and 2LT Aaron Wilson. The guest speaker was Brigadier General Francisco A. Espiallat, Commanding General of the 143rd Sustainment Command and GMC alumnus. BG Espiallat was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in 1982 through the early commissioning program at Georgia Military College. During the commissioning ceremony, the cadets recited the Oath of Office, after which family members pinned on bars denoting their new rank. Finally, the new second lieutenants were saluted for the first time by an enlisted person of their choosing. The hand salute is centuries old and probably originated when men in armor raised their hands to their helmets and lifted the visors so they could be identified. The salute has always been one of the essentials of military courtesy and is considered a symbol of mutual respect and a sign of the camaraderie among service personnel. As a standard practice, the junior initiates the salute, and the senior returns it. In keeping with a time-honored tradition, the newly appointed officers presented a silver dollar to the first enlisted person to salute them after they received their commission. GMC’s Early Commissioning Program, one of only five such programs in the nation, is a demanding program in which cadets develop the skills necessary to be leaders in the United States Army within a period of two years. View photos of the ceremony here: https://gmcpr.smugmug.com/20132014/Commissioning-Ceremony-53114.