YEARBOOK

University of Florida
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
2016-2017

THE BEST DAMN UNIT IN THE COUNTRY

Captain’s Corner
First and foremost I want to thank all the Florida Gator Midshipmen and the Unit military
and civilian staff for all the hard work and dedication you continue to show every day. I am inspired
by how hard our Midshipmen work every day to balance their military duties with the rigors
of challenging academic majors. I am also eternally grateful to our Unit staff who work tirelessly
every day to help our students succeed in pursuit of their dreams of being commissioned
as Navy Ensigns and Marine Corp Second Lieutenants. The teamwork that I see every day and
how much our team cares about the success of the Naval ROTC program and the people in it
are an inspiration and the reason I look forward to coming to Van Fleet Hall every day.
For our senior Midshipmen who are on the cusp of being commissioned as officers, you
will be part of a military that is one of the best-trained, best-funded and most respected of any in
the world. That reputation is founded on hundreds of years of personal sacrifices made by Soldiers
and Sailors who came before us and who fought to preserve peace and stability wherever
and whenever it was threatened.
Leadership has always been the foundation of our military’s success …it is the leadership
you as future officers will provide on a daily basis to those whose only desire is to be part
of an organization that is the finest anywhere and is founded on the principles that make our
country great. It won’t always be easy and you will be challenged every day to hold true to the
moral and ethical values you have been taught here and are expected to follow as commissioned
officers. The reward is knowing that you are answering a call to duty that few in our nation
can or ever will. Know though that those who don’t or cannot serve still count on you every
day to preserve our country, our freedom and our way of life.
It has been my greatest of honors to have been the Commanding Officer of the University
of Florida NROTC Gator Battalion and the Midshipmen who have been and still are an important
part of it. As I approach the last chapter of my military service to this country I leave
knowing that our nation is in good hands and that we have rightfully and confidently entrusted in
you do whatever it takes to keep this country safe.
As history has shown us, the future is never certain with each day unpredictable and different
from the next…and that the course of events can and will change on a moment’s notice
and challenge you as it has so many others in the past. I have no doubt that the training you
have been provided and the leadership skills you have developed will carry the day no matter
what you do, what you are asked to do and wherever you are. Our Nation is In good hands.
Captain James Morgan, USN

XO’s Word
Wow! Another year at "The Best Damn Unit in the Country" has flown
by and what a year it has been. We set the pace for the year with New
Student Orientation and haven't slowed down since.
A few of the highlights from this year are:
- The 40th reunion for the Plank Owners of the unit at our Navy/Marine
Corps Ball where you reassured them that you are maintaining the
tradition and the good name of the Gator battalion.
- Representing ROTC at the SEC Championship game.
- Hosting the 10th Annual Fallen Hero 5K, making it bigger and better
than before.
As you look back on your year and prepare for your summer training,
learn from everything you do and everyone you meet. Take the good
with the bad and learn from them. Always strive to be the best and
never settle for mediocrity or complacency.
For our new Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenants - remember your roots as you
embark on a challenging and rewarding career. Take care of those you
serve with and they will take care of you. As CMDCM Laing said during
his visit, "Don't sweat the small stuff" and "Don't make a big deal out of
little things."
You are serving in a dynamic time of new enemies and a resurgence of
old threats. Be alert, be prepared and be proud of Old Glory.
I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve with you. Stay safe and
keep in touch.
-CDR Leif Hammersmark, USN

Words from the Fall 2016 BNCO and BNXO
“The fall semester is generally considered the harder semester in the school year and this semester was no
different. Combined with a new freshman class and everyone returning from a relaxing summer, a new battalion
structure was being implemented. This was the second semester the new structure was implemented. The new
structure provided more 1/C with division-officer-like responsibilities than before and encouraged the entire battalion
to become more involved with the various activities and responsibilities in the unit. Despite the absence of the
previous 1/C who had implemented the new structure, the midshipmen did an outstanding job of acclimating to the
new structure, and it was truly amazing watching all the midshipman work so well together despite the changes.
Another highlight during the semester was our annual Navy Ball. This year we had the honor of having retired
RADM Emerson and several other plank owners of the Gator Battalion join us for the event. It was eye opening
listening to their experiences when our unit was in just its infant stages. The ball was a huge success and served as
testament to the hard work and dedication of MIDN 2/C Manieri and her team.
Serving as the BNCO of the best damn unit in the country was both an honor and a privilege. I couldn’t have done it
without the help of the BNXO, Midn 1/C Gray, and the Administration and Operation Department Heads, Midn 1/C
Whitson and MIDN 1/C Amaya, as well as the rest of the battalion. The experiences and lessons I learned while
working with my peers and the unit staff are something I will never forget. As always, Go Navy and Go Gators!”
-MIDN 1/C Matthew Smutny, BNCO
“Every day, in everything that you do, give all that you can. As leaders, we owe our future Sailors
and Marines this level of dedication. At the end of the day, our training and aspirations should be
focused for their benefit and mission accomplishment. Midshipman Smutny and I were blessed to
work for the greatest midshipmen staff and the best damn unit in the country. Every
accomplishment is credited to the hard work and dedication of the midshipmen that we strived to
serve. It was an honor and privilege to work for each one of you. In addition, I’ve learned more from
all of you than I have learned in my four years at the University of Florida. We are in a people’s
business where personnel are the most valuable resource. However, we must remember that as
leaders we cannot treat people as just resources. Know your team and their abilities. Recognize
them for their accomplishments. If you treat your team as people with their own unique stories, you
will find that they can accomplish anything. Warriors, as we move on to another year with new
challenges, surprises, and adventures, remember this: every day, in everything that you do, give all
that you can. Semper Fidelis.”
-Midn 1/C Joseph Gray, BNXO

Words from the Spring 2017 BNCO and BNXO
"Spring semester has absolutely flown by and with commissioning right around the corner, goodbyes are bittersweet. It
has been an absolute honor to have been given the opportunity to serve as the Battalion Commander for “The Best
Damn Unit in the Country” and I want to thank all of the amazing midshipmen for being dedicated, helpful, motivated
and willing to step up when the situation demanded it. Through this position, I gained experience, knowledge and
confidence and I hope that is something every single midshipmen can say over the course of their time here.
ROTC is truly an experience like no other that each one of you should embrace. Try to get as much as possible out of
your four years at UF because it goes by quick. Take full advantage of all the opportunities available to improve your
leadership and confidence because you will see an amazing change. There will be times when everything will be
stressful and overwhelming, but this is when you need to step back, take a deep breath, and remind yourself why
you’re here and what you are working toward. Remember how fortunate you are to be a part of this incredible program,
surrounded by others who are all working towards the same goals. Embrace the friendships you create here because
these are the people that will help shape you for years to come.
Thank you to everyone who has made my four years at UF and in the NROTC program something I will cherish for the
rest of my life. I hope to see you all in the future doing great things for our Navy and Marine Corps. Fair Winds and
Following Seas. Go Gators and Go Navy!"
-MIDN 1/C Karlie Werdmolder, BNCO
"The spring 2017 semester has flown by and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as
BNXO. I am pleased to say that the Battalion has excelled as a whole due to the hard
work of the Midshipmen Battalion Staff. Well done! This semester we had Midshipmen
participate in the Tulane Drill Competition, coordinate the 10th Annual Fallen Heroes 5k,
and Dining-In. All of these events were executed with excellence and are a testament to
the Battalion's professionalism and dedication. It has been an honor serving The Best
Damn Unit in the Country. Hooyah."
-MIDN 1/C Jacob Tyer, BNXO

Unit Staff
Capt McGee
GySgt Sharp
LT Radtke
LT Novak
LT Giampa
LT Swick
LT Schaefer & Miss Coleen
Senior Chief Brown
Chief Quinlog
Chief Fort

Words from the Staff
“The Navy and Marine Corps will present you with numerous
challenges. Meet each challenge with an outstanding attitude and
give it your best effort. But be sure, in the midst of every challenge,
to remember to be a leader to those around you and why you choose
to serve. Fair winds and following seas.” -LT Radtke, USN
“’The Naval Officer is truly unique for he must have the capacity to
simultaneously love his country... his service... his family... his
shipmates... and the sea. He needs each of them unquestionably as
each of them needs him... and the demands which are placed on him
never diminish, they only grow.’ - VADM John Bulkeley (WWII Medal of
"‘The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and
its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting
done by fools.’ -Thucydides, Greek historian
Challenge yourselves daily! Never cease setting, striving for, and
achieving, your personal and professional goals. Your level of tactical,
and in some cases technical, proficiency will keep your Marines and
Sailors combat ready and earn you the respect that rank alone
cannot achieve. “ -Capt McGee, USMC
“Run faster and scream louder; No one cares as much as YOU do; If
you always do what you have always done, you will always get what
you have always got.” -GySgt Sharp, USMC

4/C Midshipmen
Anderson Arthur Bingham Butler
Clausen
Cooney
DePaola
Douglas
Fillebrown Heym Howard
Klein
Kronlage Larratt Meiser Menendez

Class of 2020
Murphy Rasmussen Rodriguez, C Rodriguez, D
Soldo
Thatcher
Van Slyck
Wallace
Weaver Wetherill Woods
Zielinski

3/C Midshipmen
Acevedo Bechtel Bodzioch Castro-Almeyda
Corwin
DeYoung
Dowd
Fewell
Freda Graham Grossi
Guilbe

Class of 2019
Halinski Herzog Howell GySgt Morales
Olivares
Pfefferkorn
Shields
Taylor
Villanueva

2/C Midshipmen
Alt OC Austin-Datta Blaylock Campbell
Fitzwater
Gelatt
Greene
Guthrie
Maneri Powers Sadler
Schneider
Settlemire
Wray

1/C Midshipmen
Petrick Porter Poynter, B
Poynter, T Robinson Russ
Sherman
Tyer

Fall 2016 Commissioning Class
ENS Adam Brawer
Major: Neurobiological Sciences
Service Selected: Student Naval Aviator
Favorite Memory: Beautifying the unit
2ndLT Jackeline Paz
Major: Anthropology
Minor: Russian
MOS: TBD
Favorite Memory: Finishing OCS
ENS Nicholas Riemer
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Service Selected: Submarine Warfare Officer
Favorite Memory: Florida-Georgia football games

Spring 2017 Commissioning Class
ENS Iman Amaya
Major: International Relations
Service Selected: Surface Warfare Officer
Favorite Memory: Hanging out with my close friends
weekly from 1800-2000.
ENS Joel Golabek
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Service Selected: Submarine Warfare Officer
Favorite ROTC Memory: Playing mud polo
ENS Tanner Meadows
Major: Geology
Service Selected: Student Naval Aviator
Favorite quote: “ The days went slow, but the years went fast.”

Spring 2017 Commissioning Class
ENS Rachel Mincey
Major: Sustainability and the Built Environment
Service Selected: Student Naval Flight Officer
Favorite Memory: Planning. Planning Navy Ball, planning the
SEC Championship trip, planning Dining In.
ENS Amanda Puckett
Major: Sustainability and the Built Environment
Service Selected: Student Naval Flight Officer
Favorite Leadership Quote: "The greatest leader is not necessarily
the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the
people to do the greatest things." --Ronald Reagan
ENS Matthew Smutny
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Service Selected: Student Naval Aviator
Favorite ROTC Quote: “ Are you doing anything important?
Come here then.” -GySgt Sharp

Spring 2017 Commissioning Class
ENS Karlie Werdmolder
Major: Astronomy
Service Selected: Surface Warfare Officer
Favorite Memory: Making amazing friends, and enjoying events
such as Navy Ball, the Tulane Drill competition, mud polo and the
SEC Champiionship game
ENS Daniel Yassuda
Major: Civil Engineering
Service Selected: Submarine Warfare Officer
Favorite Memory: Being on the Georgia Dome field twice for
back to back SEC Championship games, with ROTC, while the
Gators played Alabama.

Summer 2017 Commissioning Class
2ndLT Joseph Gray
Major: Economics
MOS: TBD
Favorite ROTC Quote: “ Competence creates confidence.
Confidence creates success.” -Capt Morgan, USMC
2ndLT Christopher Whitson
Major: Mechanical Engineering
MOS: TBD
Favorite Memory: Sitting on the cargo door of an in flight V-22

Summer Cruise
CORTRAMID◦2/C Cruise◦ 1/C Cruise◦OCS
“CORTRAMID was undoubtedly one of the
most surreal, crazy, and enlightening
experiences of my life so far!”
-MIDN 3/C Castro-Almeyda
“My time aboard the USS Hopper was unique
because we got to see SM 3 missile launches”

Orientation Week 2017
-15AUG to 20AUG-
Discipline– Instant willingness to obey orders.
“Watch out for ants.”

ColorGuard
This year the color team has gone
beyond their limits. Adding baseball
games, softball games, and volleyball
games to their slew of activities. Not
only have we done color guards but
also many flag holding ceremonies
and even playing basketball at the
O'Dome.

The UF NROTC Drill team
embodies the character spirit
and traditions exemplified by
the University of Florida
NROTC Unit.
Furthermore, MIDN Smith, the
command was left shoulder
arms, correct yourself.
Drill Team
- MIDN John
Bodzioch

Mud Volleyball
“Events like mud volleyball are some
of the most exciting parts of the
semester to look forward to. People
talk about it for weeks leading up to
the game, and in the end, everyone
has a great time. “
-MIDN 2/C Dalton Settlemire

Halloween Costume Run
The Halloween costume run was very
fun and motivating! It was wonderful to
see everyone’s creative costumes,
and it made the PT more interesting
and more enjoyable for everyone!
-Midn 4/C Kronlage

"The Navy/Marine Corps Birthday
Ball was held November 5th, 2016.
This year was a special year because we were joined by the Plank-owners, who
were the first class to commission out of the unit. The ball was held at the
University Air Center and we were joined by Rear Admiral Emerson (Ret.) as our
guest speaker. Planning the ball was a process that took months and so much
work, but it's for sure one of the most rewarding billets getting to see everyone
have a good time and knowing you put it together."
- MIDN Manieri (Ret. Navy Ball Coordinator/CMC)

SEC Championship Game
In December of 2016, the midshipmen traveled to Atlanta, GA
to take part in the pregame ceremony before the kickoff of the
2016 SEC Championship game. The SEC East Champion,
the Florida Gators, played the SEC West Champion, the
Alabama Crimson Tide, for the SEC Title.

Volleyball

D
O
D
G
E
B
A
L

Fallen Heroes 5K
“This years 10th Annual Fallen
Heroes 5K was a major success
due to the hard work and
dedication of the midshipmen who
spent countless hours working
behind the scenes to put on the
race. The FH5K proceeds has
continued to support the UDT-
SEAL Association and Gainesville
Fisher House.”
-MIDN 1/C Petrick

10th Annual Run

Inspections
“Inspection is a great
tool to teach midshipmen
how to wear the uniform
properly, because as
future officers, we need
to be the example to
follow”- MIDN 2/C Andrea
Maneri