December 16, 2011 - UT NROTC Alumni

P A G E 2“I ampersonallyexcitedbecause allthree ROTCunits (Navy,Army and AirForce) will beback together,occupying theentire topfloor of thenew building.”It seems like yesterdaywe were checking inour freshman. The Battalionis performing well asevident by all the hugelysuccessful events from“Run to Dallas” to theNavy/Marine Corps Ball. Iwas honored to run theUT/OU game ball for thefirst 2 miles this year. It isone of those experiencesyou will never forget, especiallysince it was midnightwhen I was running.The new ROTC facilityconstruction continuesahead of schedule and weare less than a year awayfrom moving in. I am excitedfor the Battalion asthey will have more spacealong with state of the artXO’s Corner:Where did the semester go?Commander Vernon “Butch” Neuenschwanderequipment to utilize, notto mention a small gymsimilar to the one theyhad in the old ROTCbuilding. I am personallyexcited because all threeROTC units (Navy, Armyand Air Force) will beback together, occupyingthe entire top floor of thenew building. I miss walkingdown the hall and givingthe Air Force a pieceof my mind.We will begin thespring semester with ournew Assistant Marine OfficerInstructor, GYSGTReed, who is bringing awealth of experience fromthe fleet and just finished atour in Afghanistan.Welcome aboard tohim and his family.As always, I must mentionsafety. A month offfrom UT and ROTC is along time. Idle minds area dangerous thing. Thepotential for accidentsincreases this time ofyear. Long distance traveling,cold weather, drunkdrivers, all can have devastatingeffects onour lives. No matterwhat you do,always have planand always make asafe decision.Nothinggood happens lateat night, so don’tput yourself into asituation that canruin your career oreven worse.From my familyto yours, I wishyou a very MerryChristmas and a“safe” Happy New Year!T H E S P U R S A N D A N C H O R

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1 IMOI’s CornerMajor Ty KopkeP A G E 3We have come to the end ofa busy semester. With the Run-to-Dallas, Veteran’s DayWeekend, Obstacle Coursededication, birthday ball, fallfield exercise, and the changeof command behind us we havean opportunity to pause andreflect. This has been a challengingsemester for the studentstaff. I believe valuablelessons regarding commander’sintent, proactive planning, topdown leadership, and the keytroop leading step of supervisionhave been learned. Whileit has been bumpy the ultimategoal of this program, leadershipdevelopment, has been attained.These experiences willprove to be timely lessons thatwill serve our future officerswell during their careers in theNavy and Marine Corps.The birthday ball was a hugesuccess and was particularlyrelevant as we celebrated 236years of our Navy/MarineCorps team on Veteran’sDay. Viewing the commandant’sbirthday message andit’s commemoration of PearlHarbor and September11 th was emotionally powerful.To be a member of theprofession of arms defendingand serving the greatest nationon the planet is truly anhonor. An equal honor andprivilege is to lead America’ssons and daughters…..yoursons and daughters. The studentsof the Naval ROTC aretruly special. I don’t tell themthis…….but I’m proud ofthem and inspired by themevery single day. My wife andI were blessed to be theguests of honor at a local MarineCorps Junior ROTCbirthday ball. I opened myremarks with the following:“Last night we celebratedthe birthday with the studentsand staff of the Universityof Texas NavalROTC. They represent thefuture of our naval serviceready to receive the torchfrom those like me nearingthe end of our careers. Asthe inevitable changing of theguard occurs I couldn’t bemore proud of those takingmy place.”Every day is a gift, and everyday I get to mold and watchtomorrow’s leaders takeshape. We truly have the bestand brightest that America hasto offer. For those parents outthere I thank you for entrustingus with your most valued treasure.The product that youhave provided us is amazing.You have my utmost admirationand respect.With that being said muchwork is left to be done. Thenew student staff is busy planningfor the spring Mess Night,next Summer’s Freshmen Orientation,leadership conferencesat Notre Dame, the NavalAcademy, Texas A&M, thespring Field Exercise for theMarines, next year’s Run-to-Dallas, birthday ball, and springcompetitions for the rifle/pistol/drill/color guardteams. Oh, by the way theyare full time college students ata demanding university!Please take time to remember“the reason for the season”as we approach Christmas andget ready to start a NewYear. Enjoy this time withloved ones and reflect on whatis great about America.Semper Fidelis,MOI“I believevaluablelessonsregardingcommander’sintent,proactiveplanning,top downleadership,and the keytroop leadingstep ofsupervisionhave beenlearned.”

P A G E 4On Thursday October 27th, about tenmidshipmen went to the Highland Park BaptistChurch where they showed Cub Scoutsand Boy Scouts from all over the Austin area,the proper way to present the Colors. Afterthe presentation was over the Midshipmenthen taught andinstructed theCub Scouts andBoy Scouts theproper etiquetteand handling ofthe colors. Theywere also able tosit down and talkto the childrennot only aboutthe flag, but abouttheir troops andtheir own personalexperiences in the Boy Scouts.Cub Scout VisitWounded Warriors VisitBy: MIDN 3/C AlfordOn 23 Sep 2011, members of The University of Texas atAustin’s NROTC Leatherneck Platoon went down toBrooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio to visit andpay respect to the Marines and Soldiers wounded in actionin the Wounded Warrior Battalion. Upon arrival at theWounded Warrior Battalion the Leatherneck Platoon wasbriefed on the purpose of the Wounded Warriors Regiment,what types of people end up at the regiment, thetreatment wounded warriors undergo, and how the regimentaffects the families of those who are being treated.After the briefing, members of the Leatherneck Platoonmet with several wounded warriors and asked them theirstories on how they were injured and how it affected theirlives in the militaryand their lives ingeneral. Thewounded warriorshonored the LeatherneckPlatoonwith a cookoutprepared for bythe regimentwhere the Midshipmanand MECEPShad time to hold conversations many of the warriors. Asfuture officers in the United States Marine Corps, theLeatherneck Platoon was able to understand and gainknowledge about what would happen if and when their futuremarines become injured.

P A G E 5Run To DallasBy: MIDN 2/C TadlockThis year UT NROTC participated in the biggestRun to Dallas event ever. As the Run to Dallas traditiongoes, UT NROTC receives a game ball for the Red RiverShootout from the head football coach at the TorchlightPep Rally, and then runs it in a relay style all the way fromAustin to Dallas. Once in Dallas, they meet up with theUniversity of Oklahoma’s NROTC, and the two units runtogether through the Texas State fair grounds, and up thesteps of the Cotton Bowl.The event started with Midshipman participatingin the Torch Lighting Parade and Pep Rally on Wednesdaynight. At the pep rally, Coach Mac Brown talked aboutour event and then tossed the Battalion Commander,MIDN 1/C Goodrich the game ball. Right after the peprally, everyone changed into their running gear, loaded upthe two buses and the real journey began. The battalionwas divided into six run groups; the groups would takeshifts, each running six miles total per shift. The groupsran throughout the night and all day on Thursday, onlystopping to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. We checkedinto the hotel in Dallas late on Thursday night and restedup for the eventful day to come. On Friday everyone wasup early and back on the bus to the Texas State Fair tomeet up with the OU NROTC. Once outside the gates,the two NROTC formed into columns of two, and beganthe run in cadence through the fairgrounds and up to theCotton Bowl steps with their horns up, getting manycheers of approval from the people at the fair. After thephoto shoot at the Cotton Bowl, the two NROTC units,packed up their stuff, and met up again on the flag footballfield. After the flag football game, we returned back tothe hotel. The Midshipman spent Saturday at LaGrangeBar where they watched the game before loading back upthe buses and driving back to Austin.We were very lucky to have two groups of specialguests that travelled with us along the way to theCotton Bowl. First was a film crew from The LonghornNetwork. The Longhorn Network filmed the ball receivingceremony at the pep rally and the run all the way toDallas. They then put together a short video on ourevent. The other group included a group of WoundedWarriors from the Wounded Warriors Project San AntonioMarine Battalion. The Wounded Warriors participatedin every part of RTD to the best of their ability,from running with the football to bonding on the bus.

P A G E 6Birthday BallBy: MIDN 3/C PoliOn November11 th 2011,the UT NROTChosted their annualNavy and MarineCorps BirthdayBall. The Ballwas held in theCarpenter-WinkelCentennial Roomat Darrel K. RoyalMemorial Stadium.This time old traditionis one of the biggest eventsof our semester, and is a formalcelebration which brings servicemembers of the past and presenttogether to commemorate thefounding of our beloved Navy andMarine Corps.The Ball includes manytraditions and ceremonies includingthe Sword Line, Cake Cuttingceremony, and an address by theGuest of Honor. The Sword Linewas commanded by MIDN 3/C JoeBarone and included Third andFourth Class Midshipmen as partof the detail. This year the CakeCutting ceremony included representativesfrom both the Navy andMarine Corps. As the traditiongoes, the cake is ceremoniouslymarched in by the Cake Detail,commanded by MIDN 3/C AlexandraMeyers. The CO then cuts thecake, and the first piece is given tothe Guest of Honor. The nextpiece is given to the oldest servicemember present who then passestheir piece to the youngest memberpresent, symbolizing the passingof history and traditions to thenext generation. Dr. Hans Mark,former member of the UnitedStates Navy who was born in1929, passed his piece of cake tothe youngest Navy-Option, MIDN4/C Zachary Parrish who was bornin September, 1993. Mr. BobBrown, former member of theUnited States Marine Corpswho was born in 1929 also,passed his cake to MIDN 4/CMark Beasley, a Marine-Option who was also born inSeptember 1993. The evening’sceremonies concludedwith the address by our esteemedGuest of Honor,Rear Admiral Kovacich. Hetold stories of his previousduty station in Afghanistanwhile also offering his adviceand experience to Midshipmenand guests.After dinner and the ceremoniesconcluded, thereal party got started onthe dance floor. The MidshipmanOfficer InCharge, MIDN 2/C JordanReyes, surprised theguests throughout theevening with a game ofmusical chairs and a dancecompetition in which thewinners, MIDN 4/C Beasley andLt. Rivera (respectively), received acash prize.Upon the conclusion ofthe event, MIDN 2/C Reyes hadthis to say: “We encountered afew unforeseeable obstacles, howeverthanks to the Birthday BallCommittee, the Unit Staff, andeveryone else who contributed,the event was a total success andset a new standard for years tocome.”

Color GuardBy: MIDN 4/C StoopThe University of Texas Naval ROTC Color Guard was headed by sophomore Color GuardCommander Midshipman 3/C Lee during the Fall 2011 semester. Those serving on the Color Guardwith Midshipman Lee included MIDN 2/C Cahoon, Culpepper, and Wright; MIDN 3/C Barone, Dinmore,Witherspoon, and Kelly, along with newly recruited MIDN 4/C Riley, Parrish, Stoop, andBeasley. The year began with several half-staff ceremonies at the University of Texas Main Mall, followedby the October Red River Rivalry Cotton Bowl game in Dallas. For this event, NROTC midshipmenorganized and took part in the Run to Dallas – running from Austin to Dallas - in order todeliver one of the game balls to coach Mack Brown at the big game before presenting the colors onthe field. Also in October was the Hurst Dedication Dinner, at which five midshipmen presented thecolors in honor of Captain John Clark Hurst, a decorated Marine Corps pilot who served and waskilled in the Vietnam War. The Naval ROTC Color Guard finished out the month of October with aless somber event at Highland Park Baptist Church, where they taught young Cub Scouts and BoyScouts the proper etiquette and handling of the colors.November’s NROTC Alumni Weekend, spread over three days, brought back the Battalion’s pastalumni for an obstacle course dedication, awards dinner, and a scholarship presentation for outstandingmidshipmen. The Color Guard performed at both the dinner and the scholarship presentation,where several of the upperclassmen on the Color Guard received awards and scholarships. OnVeteran’s Day, the Naval ROTC Color Guard joined with the Army and Air Force ROTC’s for a jointceremony at the Main Mall. The three groups coordinated to lower and fold a 10’ by 19’ flag in remembranceof those who served in defense of people and country. The next day, the colors wereonce again presented at the Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball, a night of ceremony and celebrationfor midshipmen, officers, alumni, along with family and friends. The semester finished with theLonghorns’ last football game against Kansas State in a joint Color Guard to cap off a successful 14event semester for the University of Texas Naval ROTC Color Guard.

P A G E 8Alumni WeekendBy: MIDN 2/C TadlockAlumni weekend this yearbrought many alumni back to theirold stomping ground, where they gotto see many of their fellow classmatesand share learning experienceswith the current midshipmen.Alumni weekend started on Fridayafternoon with a dedication of theUT NROTC’s obstacle course to1stLt James Burns, USMC, anNROTC graduate who was killedduring combat operations in Vietnamin 1969. During the ceremony hissister, Judy Enston, shared herthoughts about her brother and histime in the Marine Corps andNROTC unit at The University ofTexas. After the ceremony, therewas a competition between 3 platoonsof the Battalion, Freshman,Navy, and Leatherneck, and then theUnit Staff. In a very close call theFreshman actually won the competition,but this was also a great experiencefor everyone present to understandhow the obstacle course isactually ran. That night there was analumni dinner, to honor Robert L.Armstrong, John T. Montford, andADM William McRaven, USN, fortheir military careers and achievements.Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Montfordwere then each presented withtheir award in turn, plus a framedphoto of the battalion from CaptainDixon.AdmiralMcRavencouldnot attend,butwas stillformallyrecognized.The dinnerwasstartedwith theUniversity of Texas NROTC ColorGuard presenting the Colors andMIDN 1/C Tallant being presentedwith an award, and was concludedwith Captain Dixonspeaking for several minutes,thanking the Alumni Foundationfor their support, beforeCaptain Michael Waldrongave the closing remarks.Saturday morningstarted bright and early, withan Alumni Foundation GeneralBusiness Meeting.During this meeting theAlumni gave out over$38,000 in scholarships todifferent Midshipman andMECEPS. After the Alumniwere done giving out scholarships,all of the Navy commissioningseniors of Fall2011 and Spring 2012, wereawarded mini communitypins, based on the warfare communityin which they will be commissioninginto, including Sub, Surface,and Aviation. After the award ceremony,everyone got on their burntorange and headed down the DarrellK. Royal Stadium, where theywatched UT destroy Texas Tech, 52-20. After the game, everyone gatheredon Speedway, for a nice BBQ,Texas style from Poke E Joes. Thistailgate was not only a great experiencefor old friends to catch up, butalso many midshipmen attended,which gave them the opportunity totalk with the alumni. I know I enjoyedlistening to stories about howdifferent the UT NROTC battalionuse to be, and stories of the oldcrow nest, as well as hearing storiesfrom when they were first commissionedin completely different time inthe Navy and Marine Corps then it isnow a days. Alumni weekend is agreat time to learn from those whohave already been in your shoes, butit is also a time when midshipmenfinally understand how many doorscan be opened up for them, and thatthe possibilities are virtually endless,just by listening.

Winter Commissioning 2011By: MIDN 2/C TadlockOn Friday December 16 th 2011 Ensign WilliamPacl, and 2 nd Lieutenant Matthew Little were commissioninginto the United States Navy and Marinecorps respectively. Ensign Pacl was part of the Seamanto Admiral-21 program (STA-21). Being a partof the STA-21 programmeans theEnsignPacl,enlistedinto theUnitedState Navyand thenwas nominatedbyhis superior officers and handpicked by the Navy togo to college and get a degree to become an officer.2 nd Lieutenant Little took part in the Marine EnlistedCommissioning Education Program (MECEP). MECEPis very similar to the STA-21 program for enlistedMarines. 2 nd Lieutenant Little entered college as a Sgtin the Marine Corps. Although commissioning is ahuge accomplishment for everyone, going through aprogram like STA-21 or MECEP, makes it extra special.When both these men enlisted in their respectiveservices, neither of them could have evendreamed of this day. And to make it even more special,they both have their own families to celebratewith.Ensign Pacl was commissioned first and given theofficer oath of service by his grandfather LieutenantCommander Lawrence Pacl Retired. LieutenantCommander Pacl,graduated from theNaval Academy inJune 1952, afterreceiving an appointmentfromthe Secretary ofthe Navy from theNaval Reserve, hethen retired in1972, after 20years. Then EnsignPacl’s sons Aidenand Austin came up and changed the rank on hisuniform. After the ceremony Ensign Pacl receivedhis first salute from his very proud father, EM1/SSTimothy Pacl Retired. Ensign Pacl was presented asword by Lieutenant Christian Rivera.2nd Lieutenant Little was given the officer oathof service by Capt David Godwin. Capt Godwin isan infantryofficerwhoserved ashis platooncommanderin1st BN 6thMarinesand theydeployedtogetherto Afghanistanin 2004 as part of the 22nd MEU. It was thenin Afghanistan that Capt Godwin told 2 nd LieutenantLittle about the MECEP program, as he wascommissioned through the program. Then 2 nd LieutenantLittle’s very proud wife Jocelyn Little andmother Anne Little affixed his new bars on his uniform.After the ceremony 2 nd Lieutenant Little’sold high school friend an infantry marine who iscurrently serving as Ops Chief for HeadquartersBN at Marine Corps Hawaii GySgt Nathan Dreyergave him his first salute. Capt David Godwin, thenpresented 2 nd Lieutenant Little with his honorarymameluke swords during the sword ceremony.We are very proud of both Ensign Pacland 2 nd Lieutenant Little here at the Universityof Texas Naval ROTC. We would wantto wish themthe best andmake surethey knowthey will definitelybemissed asmentors tothe currentmidshipmen.