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