Seventeen graduating students became Army and Navy officers at Fordham on May 16 in commissioning ceremonies that primed them for effective, inspired military leadership. From one speaker, the message was clear: whatever is asked of you, tackle it with gusto—even if it’s the last thing you want to be doing.
“If a task is hard, be the first to do it,” said Cmdr. Robert Briggs, a highly decorated officer and instructor who served the Navy in a variety of command and combat readiness roles. He was guest of honor at the Navy ROTC commissioning ceremony, where two Fordham students became Navy ensigns and one became a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps after taking the oath of office.
‘Lead With Positivity’
He urged the three of them to “go into it with an open mind” when they don’t like where the military sends them. “Just because at the time they are not the orders that you like, doesn’t mean that that is not going to open doors for you in the future.”
He also emphasized humility, authenticity, learning from failure, considering the bigger picture—saying that all were exemplified by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, the religious order whose principles guide Fordham’s mission.. “Be useful to your team and lead with positivity,” he said. “The military always has a place for those who do.”
The three midshipmen, members of Fordham’s Class of 2025, took part in the Naval ROTC program based at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx. Their commissioning ceremony at Duane Library on the Rose Hill campus was followed by another one for Fordham’s Army ROTC program, based at the Rose Hill campus. Like the NROTC program at SUNY Maritime, it trains students from a number of New York-area universities.
‘Hope Itself’
Fordham’s president, Tania Tetlow, spoke at both commissionings, praising the students for their hard work and commitment. “You have shown fierce discipline in your studies and through an unimaginable number of push-ups and miles run,” she said at the NROTC ceremony.
“You have the enormous privilege of representing our country,” she said. “You have the immense obligation of swearing allegiance to the Constitution—and that doesn’t mean the worship of any flag, any particular leader, or even its nation, but to a system of government, to an ideal of democracy, to hope itself.”
‘Everybody’s Watching You’
Fourteen cadets—five of them members of Fordham’s Class of 2025—were commissioned second lieutenants in the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard, sworn in by Maj. Gen. Michael A. Natali, assistant adjutant general of the New York Army National Guard.
“Remember, everybody’s watching you,” he told the cadets in his address. “You’ll be the new officer in the organization. Impressions that your personal and professional conduct will make … will be just as important, if not more so, than your actual job performance. Integrity is at the center of all we do.”
“Listen to your soldiers,” he told them. “Solicit their feedback. … They’re going to tell you what they think is going right and what they think needs to be fixed. They just need to be asked.”
Embracing Challenges
He also told the cadets to embrace the continuous challenges that come with military life and the learning opportunities that come with them. “You’ll do things that many only dream of,” he said. “In the Army, you’ll have experiences and go to places most of your civilian counterparts will not.”
“Today, your adventure is just beginning,” he said.
The 14 lieutenants will get further training to serve in military intelligence, field artillery, armor, military police, the transportation corps, aviation, the adjutant general corps, and cybersecurity. The three officers commissioned in the NROTC program will report to flight training, the Navy’s nuclear power school, and the Marine Corp’s Basic School for new officers.
