Lycoming College graduates commissioned in the Army

2017 Jun 12

Lycoming College is pleased to announce the commissioning of three graduates as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, including Murray Shackelford, of Capitol Heights, Md. who earned a Bachelor of Arts in history. The cadets were commissioned during the College's baccalaureate ceremony in May.

Shackelford will serve on active duty in the Army’s Infantry.

"Their undergraduate experience has prepared them to lead others and we're confident their soldiers and peers will find them capable leaders in the years to come," said Dan Miller, vice president for student life. "We are proud of these alumni who have chosen the highest of callings to serve our country."

Over their college careers, the cadets kept pace with their academic studies while participating in ROTC activities including physical training, monthly leadership labs and a semester-long field training exercise.

The U.S. Army Cadet Command partners with universities to recruit, educate, develop and inspire ROTC cadets in order to commission officers of character for the Total Army. The Army ROTC has an enrollment of more than 30,000 and produces more than 70 percent of the second lieutenants who join the active Army, the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. More than 40 percent of current active duty Army General Officers were commissioned through the ROTC.

Lycoming College ROTC cadets help comprise the Bison Battalion ROTC program, which is hosted at Bucknell University, and also includes cadets representing Penn College, Susquehanna University and Bloomsburg University.