Commanding Officer's Update
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The LOG Vol 23 Issue 1 **** The University of Southern California NROTC Alumni League **** Spring/Summer 2016 Drill Team takes 1st Place at Calendar of Events CU Boulder Drill Meet 11 AUG 2016 By: MIDN 2/C Huisinga Executive Committee Meeting USC Orange County Center 19 AUG 2016 Class of 2020 Swearing In USC Campus 8 SEP 2016 Board of Directors Meeting USC Campus 5 NOV 2016 Battalion Commander, MIDN Homecoming - Football Tailgater 1/C Redland (left) and Drill PE Building Lawn, USC Campus Team Commander, MIDN 2/C NOV 2016 Huisinga with the plaques and Navy & Marine Corps Ball the 1st Place Overall Buffalo (Contact NROTC Unit for Trophy The platoon prepares to execute “Pass in Review” more information) March 5th, 2016 marked a very special day for the USC NROTC unit – our drill team traveled to Colorado to compete in the annual University of Colorado Boulder Drill Meet. Unlike the Tulane Drill Meet, which is strictly a drill com- In This Issue. petition, the Colorado meet has a team shooting competition, as well as a team endurance run competition. This was our third year at Boulder and we partici- From the Bridge page 2 pated in all of the events. Learning from past experiences, our preparations were CO’s Update page 3 tailored towards patching up last year’s holes in performance and taking home a Bulletin Board page 4 win. Starting the week after classes commenced in the fall, the Drill Team spent Class of 2016 page 7 every Tuesday morning learning and perfecting their drill form. Fall semester was focused on learning every movement necessary from the drill manual, and Spring Awards page 8 spring semester was focused on cleaning up form with the competition card from Scholarships page 10 Colorado. The Endurance Team (E-Team) and Shooting Team were conducting MBV page 11 independent practices, run under the guidance of team captains, the Drill Team Decades Doings page 12 Commander, and the Assistant Marine Officer Instructor, GySgt Ordaz. With a Ship’s Store page 14 month left before the competition, February saw an increase to twice-a-week practices. As the competition drew nearer, the team locked on and put their best Back at the Battalion page 15 foot (left foot, kill foot!) forward. Admiral of the League page 16 At the same time, our team was fund raising for the trip; all members of the team Taps page 16 were required to complete maximum hours through battalion events. The original Photo Gallery page 17 estimate was around $13,000 – this included flights, hotels, transportation, and Member Registration page 18 Continued on page 6 Page 2 THE LOG SPRING /SUMMER 2016 FROM THE BRIDGE Paul R. Alwine (Class of 1962) CAPT, SC, USN (Ret) President – USC NROTC Alumni League On Friday, 1 April, I was privileged to attend the 2016 NROTC Spring Ball that was held by the Trojan battal- ion at the Galen Center. The First Class Midshipmen were honored as they would soon be graduating and heading to the Fleet. It brought back a lot of memories of my own Spring Ball in my senior year at USC in May 1962. We then called it the “Ring Dance” as we had a large replica one of the very best in the U.S.! Hites has done a fantastic of a class ring into which each midshipman and their date job as CO, helping prepare new leaders during his three would step and be announced. It was held each year at years here. (And he spent some time at that other place “Allen Center”- the Officer’s Club at Naval Station Long across town, but of course USC was “the best!”) The new Beach. I could never imagine that 54 years later I’d be CO, Col Chris Michelsen, will be arriving at USC from attending another Spring Ball at USC! I mentioned to the duty in Japan. More about Chris in the next issue of The graduating seniors that if they come back to the Spring LOG this fall. Ball in 54 years, it will be the year 2070! Yikes… The USC NROTC Alumni League is always seeking The NROTC Class of 2016 has graduated, and the new better ways to connect with our members. We are con- Ensigns and 2ndLts are heading to their first duty stations sidering the establishment of a “class representative” – some to Flight School in Pensacola, some to The Basic concept. This volunteer position would be tasked to find School in Quantico, some to east and west coast ships, and keep electronically connected by email or other so- some to Nuclear Power School, and other assignments. cial media with members of his or her NROTC graduat- They will begin leading our sailors and Marines and con- ing class. This would provide an easier way to “get out tributing to the mission of our Navy and Marine Corps all the word” to our alumni members, besides The LOG, and over the world. We wish them well, with “fair winds and for easier member feedback to the Alumni League leader- following seas!” ship. More on this to come… This summer will see a Change of Command for the This fall there will be something new in town – “Los NROTC Los Angeles Consortium on 17 June, with our Angeles Fleet Week,” which will be held in September current Commanding Officer – Col Jonathan Hitesman around the Labor Day weekend. The Port of Los Angeles – departing Trojan Town and heading back east for his will play host to the week long event, with visits by Navy next assignment. Hites, along with wife Charley and kids, ships and various activities being planned. LA joins other will head to Washington, DC, where he will become the cities around the country such as San Francisco, San Di- Chief Defense Counsel for the Marine Corps! He joins ego, Seattle, New York City and others in this proud tra- the long line of former Professors of Naval Science over dition that showcases our Navy, Marine Corps and Coast the past 76 years that have made the USC NROTC unit Guard. Continued on page 6 THE LOG SPRING /SUMMER 2016 Page 3 COMMANDING Off I C ER ’S UPDATE Col Jonathan Hitesman USMC Commanding Officer & Professor of Naval Science University of Southern California petition is comprised of drill, academics, physical fitness, Alumni and friends of the USC NROTC and head-to-head athletics. UCLA produced decisive Trojan Battalion: wins during the Blood Bowl (football) game in the fall as This academic year has come to an end and I continue well as during the spring Blood Ball (basketball) game. to be more and more impressed by our midshipmen, USC was dominant in drill while the two schools were the staff, the university and the support of the Alumni competitive in grades and physical fitness. The teams League. Your support has a direct effect on the midship- were neck and neck going into the final competition – vol- men and resulted in a great achievement this past spring at leyball. In this winner take all event, the teams traded the Colorado Drill Meet. The Trojan Battalion Drill Team wins in the first two games but UCLA went on to win the won the competition placing first overall. You can read third game and the trophy. The battalion will be looking about the details in MIDN 2/C Huisinga’s accompanying for alumni support as they win the trophy back next year article in this edition of The LOG. This incredible experi- on Bruin soil. ence could not have been possible without your generous On 13 May 2016, we commissioned nine new second financial partnership. lieutenants and ensigns. We previously commissioned Highlights from this semester include a very exciting and one ensign back in December, one will commission later busy third week of March. Gen Petraeus and Gen Mat- in the summer, and three seniors will be taking an addi- tis were on campus for the Veterans’ Dinner. We were tional semester to finish their degrees. Congratulations fortunate enough to hijack an hour and a half of Gen Mat- to all of the seniors led by MIDN 1/C Jaclyn Hennegan, tis’ schedule which allowed the Midshipmen some very MIDN Battalion Commander for the first command term, enlightening time with the General. The most popular and MIDN 1/C Jeff Redland, MIDN Battalion Command- question was whether Gen Mattis was going to run for er for the second command term. I had charged the 1/C President! In case you are still hoping for it, he clearly MIDN with taking ownership of their battalion and they answered that with a “no.” Both Gen Petraeus and Gen have done an outstanding job improving the legacy of the Trojan Battalion. Mattis led discussions during the week to include a joint discussion of the Iraq war. We topped off that week with Please join me in congratulating MIDN Tyler Borch as the Spring Ball where Brigadier General Uribe, Inspector he takes command of the Midshipman Battalion. He is General of the Marine Corps (and father of MIDN Uribe), charged with, among many other things, the training of was our guest of honor. BGen Uribe was very impressed the freshman class and ensuring that they are prepared to with our midshipmen and specifically noted the great co- be active members of the Trojan Battalion. He is obvi- hesion within the First Class. ously well respected by his classmates and thought very Unfortunately the Benner Trophy was surrendered to highly of by the Officer Instructors. We expect MIDN UCLA at the annual Awards Day on 23 Apr 16.