Recent Events

MG Cambria, Special Operations Command, Pacific, (SOCPAC) Commander, is visiting Northeastern University for a short lecture and question and answer session with the Cadets. MG Cambria is a Northeastern graduate and Boston native.

The event will take place on 27 April from 10:00am to 12:00pm. The location is still TBD. The primary audience is our Liberty Battalion Cadets, but any NUROTCAS member that knows him is welcome to attend. If you have any alumni that would like to attend, please let me know the names, so we may add them to our room size headcount.

The focus of the two hours is for him to impart guidance to our Cadets. There may be a couple of minutes at the end of the session for folks to greet him.

If you would like to attend, please contact LTC Katherine Scanlon at (617)373-7480.

Spring ROTC Commissioning Ceremony

Thursday, April 30, 2009 4pm Faneuil Hall (2nd floor), Boston

The Northeastern Army ROTC celebrates the commissioning of its newest officers from the class of 2009, and all "Golden Lieutenants" are invited to attend. Think back to your own commissioning while taking part in this year's ceremony. Attendees should gather with other ROTC alumni directly at Faneuil Hall.

Point of Contact is MAJ Julie A. Craig, Northeastern University Army ROTC 335A Huntington Ave Boston, MA 02115-5000.

Commercial: 617-373-2378

j.craig@neu.edu

Winter 2008

Save the Date

The Northeastern University ROTC annual awards ceremony will be held on March 27, 2009 at 7 PM, in room 100, Gasson Hall, Boston College. There will be a social hour beginning at 6 PM and parking located in the Commonwealth Ave Garage (3rd level and higher) located off of Commonwealth Avenue.

If you would like to participate or need additional information, please contact Tom Desmond or MAJ Julie Craig

Point of Contact is MAJ Julie A. Craig, Northeastern University Army ROTC 335A Huntington Ave Boston, MA 02115-5000 Commercial: 617-373-2378 j.craig@neu.edu

Join The Cadets and your fellow ROTC Alumni at the 2009 ROTC Military Ball. The previous balls have been gala affairs where everyone has a wonderful time with good food, great company and dancing!

• Date: 21 FEB 09
• Location: The Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Ave. Boston
• Reception: 6PM, Dinner: 7PM, Dancing: 9PM
• Price per ticket: $55

RSVP: NLT 14 FEB 2009 Checks should be made out to the Liberty Battalion and sent to 335A Huntington Ave, Boston MA 02115

When replying, please indicate your dinner choices:

• Stuffed Chicken Breast
• Brioche Crusted Salmon
• Wild Mushroom Florentine Crepe

Fall 2008

Annual Meeting and Remembrance Ceremony

On November 8, 2008, the Northeastern University ROTC Alumni Society will honor those Northeastern University Alumni memorialized on the Northeastern University Veterans Memorial by reading their names in a Remembrance Ceremony. Prior to that ceremony, we will hold an Annual Meeting of the ROTC Alumni Society with presentations by the officers of the Society and the Liberty Battalion Instructor Group. This will also be an opportunity to meet the Liberty Battalions new PMS, LTC Katherine Scanlon.

These events will be held in Room 150 Dodge (formerly Dodge Library). A copy of a map was included in your mailing.

The events are planned as follows:

• 0900-1030 NUROTCAS Annual Meeting
• 1100-1200 Remembrance Ceremony
• 1200-1215 Service at the Memorial

Northeastern University will also be holding a Veterans Day service at the Veterans Memorial on Monday, November 10, 2008. This service would be held at the Northeastern University Veterans Memorial.

If you wish to be a reader, or candle lighter at the Remembrance Ceremony, please contact me billmaloney5@verizon.net. I will supply the appropriate readings to participants by November 3rd. We will also be contacting people by email, who have participated the Remembrance in prior years, to see if they will attend, and also participate.If you need a map of the area or a parking pass, please email me.

After the planned events, everyone is invited to lunch at a local pub, Connor Larkin's Grille & Tap, 329 Huntington Avenue. We hope this will provide more fellowship opportunity for a memorable visit back to Northeastern. If you contact me at my home email, I will forward you a parking pass for the day at Northeastern.

ROTC Alumni Association Annual Dues

NUROTCAS uses the $25 annual contribution to support Liberty Battalion cadet activities. During the year, this money is spent almost entirely for activities of, and awards to current cadets, and for postage to keep in touch with our members. Some mailings are necessary although we try to use email as much as possible.

During the past 2007-08 academic year, we used the money provided us through last years contributions to: buy Sunday breakfast for the cadets participating in Ranger Challenge week end at Fort Devens, provide for pizza at Branch Notification Night, purchase a Nintendo system for a cadet competition, and cadet scholarships at the Liberty Battalion Awards Ceremony. In recent years, we were able to increase the three NUROTCAS Awards to $200 each, because of increases in Alumni contributions over and above the $25 amount. If you wish, please consider increasing your contribution. Information on where to send your dues was included in the recent mailing. If you have questions or did not receive the mailing, please email me.

Branch Night

Branching results are due out on the 23d of this month. LTC Scanlon, the PMS, is planning to present branching selections at Connor Larkins at 1700 on October 23rd. We would be honored if anyone is interested in attending and participating in this event. If you would like to present branch pins for any particular branches, or can participate, please let us know. You can contact LTC Scanlon at k.scanlon@neu.edu or at(617)373-7480

On March 27, 2009, the Liberty Battalion of the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps held its 2009 Awards Ceremony in Gaston Hall at Boston College. Major Julie Craig served as Master of Ceremonies and Professor of Military Science LTC Katherine A. Scanlon delivered the opening remarks.

The Northeastern University ROTC Alumni Society Presented three scholarships of $250 each to three Northeastern cadets. The three cadets were Darren Berrigan, Patrick Lupfer, and Erik Rueda. Stephen Brainard and William Maloney represented NUROTCAS in making these awards, but we would like to see more Alumni attend next year's Awards Ceremony and present the awards as well as those of other sponsoring groups.

It was a pleasure for NUROTCAS to be a part of this annual recognition event. It was obvious that the cadets appreciated the recognition of their achievements.

This year showed an expansion of observances by a division of ceremonies into two events: a NUROTCAS meeting and observance on Saturday, 8 November 2008, and a general University ceremony on Monday, 10 November 2008. Obviously, a Saturday gathering was more convenient in many ways for alumni, easier traveling into Boston, fewer parking problems and no problems with work schedules for those still working. But since the school was not in session on Saturday, a Monday observance made the most sense for students, faculty and staff. Both events worked well.

The Pershing Rifles alumni (fossils, as they think of themselves) scheduled a reunion to coordinate with the ROTC Alumni Society events beginning with a dinner on Friday evening, 7 November, at Anthonys Pier 4 Restaurant, a place of memories and nostalgia for many alumni.

The following morning, the NUROTCAS annual general meeting convened in 150 Dodge by Tom Desmond, the Societys president. Tom presented an enlightening overview of the Societys recent activities in support of the Liberty Battalion and Bill Maloney followed with his Treasurers report detailing the nicely-solvent position of the Society. LTC Kate Scanlon, the PMS, followed with an informative and detailed power point presentation of the scope and nature of the ROTC program and the financial and other advantages to cadets and the University. One remarkable piece of news was that enrollment has increased from 90 cadets to approximately 150 in the transition from last year to this. Unfortunately, LTC Scanlon, who arrived mid-Summer 2008 to succeed LTC John McClellan (now at Fort Leonard Wood and promoted to 0-6) will herself be transferred and promoted in the Summer of 2009. Kate is obviously capable and a dynamic leader.

During the meeting alumni raised questions concerning whether their stipulations that their annual contributions to the University be devoted to the use of the ROTC program are in fact being carried out. Also discussed was the question of the wisdom of having two separate Veterans Day events dividing the alumni and general University observances.

After a brief break during which various items of ROTC memorabilia were admired, the annual Remembrance Service was conducted under the able leadership of Chris Tregakis. As in prior years, we were again honored with the participation of CAPT Edmund Rainsford, and CAPT Leo Lazo. As in the past, all 279 names of the known Northeastern alumni fatalities were read by alumni readers and others, including, LTC Scanlon, CDR Gillen and cadets David Siegfried and Dan Oesterheld. Candles were lit in their memory.

The proceedings then adjourned to the Veterans Memorial (its plaza having recently been named for Neal Finnegan). With Kevin Upton presiding, the Pershing Rifles alumni then conducted a moving memorial service for three of its alumni who died in service: John (Jack) Kalen, Robert (Bob) Kelly and Sterling (Skip) Wall. Greg Cahill spoke to offer his memories of Jack Kalen, Dennis Christo spoke in remembrance of Skip Wall and Kevin Upton recalled Bob Kelly. Following an invocation, a memorial wreath was placed by P/R cadet Colonel Greg Walsh of Massachusetts Maritime Academy and two Northeastern cadets, Dan Oesterheld and David Siegfried.This completed the formal parts of the days activities, and the group then retreated to Conor Larkins Pub for conversation and refreshment.

Those attending (please forgive the inevitable errors and omissions) at one or more of these events were: Tom Desmond, Steve Brainard, Randy Craig, Chris and Charlotte Tregakis, Bill and Marie Maloney, Andy Larkin, Ed Hupprich, Dennis Christo, Jason and Marion Sokolov, Dick and Nancy Curtin, Don Thieme, Kevin Upton, Dave Hurwitz, Leo Lazo, Greg Cahill, Ed Rainsford, Dave Sawyer, John Xenakis, Bob Gillen, Bill Pearce, Greg Walsh, Kate Scanlon, and cadets David Siegfried and Dan Oesterheld. Dick Curran, who is still in the VA Hospital in Brockton, and Dick Power and Rick Plath sent regrets.

The general University observance on Monday, 10 November was scheduled to attract the maximum number of students and, although about 100 chairs were set out for the audience, about 250 students, including 50 cadets, actually attended. LTC Kate Scanlon presided and was the major speaker assisted by the president of the Student Government in a simple ceremony conducted along traditional lines. Kate reports that the audience was markedly respectful and even those passing by, or who left before the ceremony ended, showed great courtesy in their demeanor.

Without any question the two ceremonies, whether taken together as a program or considered separately, were highly satisfactory. However, during the course of the year the NUROTCAS will be conducting discussions with University officials to consider whether the 2009 Veterans Day events should be divided or combined.