Colin Root, a cadet in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Portland, was honored as the top overall cadet in his regiment during graduation ceremonies for the 2013 Leader Development and Assessment Course at Watkins Field on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington on July 11. He was among approximately 885 ROTC Training Corps cadets from the 1st and 2nd Regiments.
Root was among a group of eight cadets honored for individual accomplishments that set them apart from their peers. From each regiment, awards were handed out for distinguished honor graduate, honor graduate, top male and female scores on the Army physical fitness test, and the cadet who best represented the Warrior Ethos, a term coined to reflect the embodiment of a soldier. Root, a junior Global Business major at the University, was recognized as 1st Regiment Distinguished Honor Graduate, Bravo Company.
The ceremony capped off 29 days of leadership-infused training designed to develop each cadet’s leadership abilities through a sequentially organized training schedule that incorporated the basic necessary skills to become an effective military leader. The leadership course is one of the final steps for cadets prior to completing the ROTC program and entering the Army as commissioned officers.
For more information contact the Army ROTC office at 7353 or armyrotc@up.edu.