Leadership, Excellence, Honor

If you ask Paul Helweg '70 what's special about the ROTC Alumni Chapter, he'll be quick to tell you, it's the people.

As president of the Chapter, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Helweg's primary goal is to increase communication among ROTC alumni and highlight their wide-ranging accomplishments.

To that end, Helweg is building on his e-mail directory of ROTC alumni with the hopes of creating a quarterly e-newsletter to include news about ROTC alumni, meetings announcements, and updates on special events like the URI Army ROTC Hall of Fame to be held this May.

The number of potential ROTC chapter members is hard to count. Until the mid-sixties, all male underclassmen at URI were required to take military science coursed as part of their degree program. Many URI alumni participated in these ROTC courses but were never commissioned in the U.S. Army.

Military training at URI has a long and interesting history. In the summer of 1918, with students ranks severely depleted by World War I enlistments, classes were suspended at URI (then Rhode Island State College) for the training of draftees as automobile mechanics, carpenters, concrete workers, electricians, draftsmen, machinists, and blacksmiths in the Student Army Training.

Again, during World War II, with enrollments declining, the College was selected for the training of engineers in the Army Specialized Training Unit. From June 1943 to March 1944, nearly 800 trainees were given instruction at Kingston.

In more recent history, military training has continued at URI through the ROTC program. ROTC alumni have gone on to serve their country with honor in times of war and times of peace.

Two URI ROTC graduates have been newly promoted and we'd like to share the news with our readers: Kenneth Quinlan '73 was recently promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and is Assistant Division Commander of the 1t Armored Division, Hanau, Germany. Captain J.C. Glick '95, 1995 Cramer's Saber Award Winner, recently assumed command of Commanche Company, 1-23 IN IBCT at Fort Lewis, Wash. Congratulations to Ken and JC.