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The Army has 17 different branches for Cadets to compete for.  Being selected into one of the branches is the culmination of an assessment process that begins from the very first day a Cadet enters the ROTC program.  Beginning with Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 the U.S. Army has implemented a new system to branch Cadets from its 274 ROTC programs across the country.   The Army calls the new system Talent Based Branching.

The prior accessions process ranked all Cadets across the nation based off of factors such as their GPA, physical fitness test score, Advanced Camp performance, volunteer work, Color Guard participation, Ranger Challenge team, etc.  During the beginning of their senior year, Cadets ranked in order of preference which of the 17 branches in the Army they want to assess into. The Army’s accessions process then uses the various factors mentioned to help decide which branch they will receive.

With Talent Based Branching, all these prior factors are still considered.  The below FY22 chart shows the importance each of these factors has on how Cadets rank in the national Order of Merit List (OML).

Before the OML score is was what largely determined what branch a Cadet received; with Talent Based Branching, Cadets will also have the opportunity to interview with the branches they are interested in.  The opportunity to interview each Cadet will allow the branches to learn more about each applicant to better inform branching decisions besides looking at an OML score.  After the interview process the branches will then rank order their Cadet preferences.

On April 15th, we had the privilege of hosting a visit from Brigadier General (Retired) Nikki Griffin Olive from the class of 1990, who was selected by EWU for the 2022 Alumni Award for Military Service. BG Griffin Olive spent nearly 30 years as a Signal Corps officer before being promoted and becoming a General Officer. She spent the morning providing a leader professional development session for cadets and sharing stories from her time in ROTC – which sounded very familiar to the experience of current cadets. This was inspiring cadets since it shows that she was just like them and that if they apply themselves after graduation, they too have limitless possibilities for success in the U.S. Army and beyond. BG Griffin Olive then had some speaking engagements with Computer Science classes to talk about her experiences leading in a technical field. We concluded her visit with the 2022 Alumni Awards Gala and had a great time celebrating her success and the sense of promise for the next generation of officers from the EWU Army ROTC Program. A special thank you to Colonel (ret) Albert J Watson and his wife Jean, Colonel (ret) Don Nelson, and LTC (ret) Jerry Mellick for purchasing tables so that cadets could attend and experience this event as well provide maximum support from the program to BG (ret) Griffin Olive during the ceremony. Go Eags!

Cadets present the colors to begin the formal ceremonies

On Friday, March 18th, EWU ROTC hosted its 2022 Dining Out in Hargreaves Hall on campus. All of the attendees enjoyed a chance to dress up, socialize, and even engage in some shenanigans by calling each other out over “violations of the mess.” Not event the Professor Military Science escaped scrutiny and, like all the other violators, had to drink from “the Grog.”  Our MSIV (senior) and MSIII (junior) Cadets shared their favorite memories of ROTC and each other.

MSI and MSII Cadets add ingredients with symbolic meaning to the “Grog”

Cadets who violated the “Rules of the Mess” take a drink from the “Grog”

We closed the evening with our guest speaker, Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Brad Liberg, class of 1981. Brad retired after 22 years and a battalion command in the Army, followed by a successful 18 years in education culminating with him becoming Principal of Pasadena Park Elementary School in Spokane Valley. His story shows ROTC can be a springboard to success in two very different chapters in life.

Guest speaker Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Brad Liberg and his wife, Tamera

 It was a great night and there was a lot of fun had by all!

Congratulations to Second Lieutenant (2LT) Hunter Smith who earned an Army Achievement Medal for his work with the ROTC faculty as a recruiter.  After graduating from EWU with a degree in mechanical engineering this past summer, 2LT Smith joined our faculty while he waited for the start of the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course this February, followed by Ranger School. During his time working as faculty, 2LT Smith made a major impact in recruiting and spreading the word to local high schools about the opportunity EWU ROTC provides.  We wish him all the best, safe travels and success in his upcoming training!

Professor of Military Science, LTC Van Meter presents 2LT Smith the Army Achievement Medal.