Old Ironsides Spring Update
As students settled back in to the routine this spring, several Battalion events have been keeping them busy!
February was ushered out with the MIT Joint Services Military Ball, held for the first time on the MIT campus, at Morss Hall. The formal event was the culmination of months of cooperation and planning by Navy, Air Force and Army ROTC staff and students. It was the perfect venue at which all services’ commissioning seniors were acknowledged. Special recognition was given to CAPT Jack Houdeshell, USN, who will be retiring from the Navy at the end of the semester after 30 years of service. Everyone enjoyed sharing an excellent dinner and the company of their fellow ROTC constituents.
In this issue, we share one of our midshipman’s inside perspective regarding three specific events.
The Yale Leadership & Strategy Conference, held March 28-29, was attended by Boston midshipmen (MIDN) who heard from “transformational speakers such as the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps General Berger, former commander of Naval Service Training Command RDML Craig Mattingly, and retired Navy SEAL James “Jimmy” Hatch. The conference offered invaluable leadership lessons and insights into naval operations and strategy, as well as strengthening the connections between midshipmen and cadets across the globe,” said BU MIDN Caeden Giorgetta, Old Ironsides Battalion Administrative Officer.
RDML (Rear Admiral) Matthew Pottenburgh, Commander, Naval Service Training Command, (the body which oversees NROTC programs nationwide), visited the Boston Consortium on April 9. MIDN Georgetta observed, “The admiral made the deliberate effort to shake every midshipman’s hand after they completed their drill evaluation, giving the midshipmen the rare moment to have a small group conversation with a flag officer.” During his visit, RDML Pottenburgh also met with MIT and BU unit staff, sharing his background and providing valuable leadership lessons. This was a tremendous day for all who had the honor of meeting the RDML.
On April 11-12, twelve midshipmen from the Consortium, alongside over two hundred of their counterparts from across the northeast, participated in the Villanova MEC, (Military Excellence Competition.) After completing a series of rigorous events, such as a 10K, 500m swim, relay races, weigh lifting and armed squad drills, the Boston midshipmen took 2nd place. MIDN Giorgetta summed it up for the participants as follows:
“The comraderie and motivation of the midshipmen from schools across the North East coming together inspired an energy that is unmatched in any other NROTC environment. Villanova with a deepened connection with the other midshipmen across the country as well as tighter bonds and a shared sense of success with their fellow Boston midshipmen to take back to the consortium.”
The last leadership lab of the semester on April 23 marked the turnover of Battalion student leadership positions. Senior awards were presented, ahead of the year’s biggest ceremony, MIT Joint Services Commissioning. Held dockside at the USS Constitution on May 30, the gathering recognizeds midshipmen and cadets as they receive their commissions as officers in their respective service branches. We are looking forward to this highly anticipated event which will wrap up the semester!
— Lisa Breen, NROTC