Date:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Lt. Col. Mike DePuglio, head and professor of military science, (319) 273-6220 or 273-6178

Vicki Grimes, Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761

ROTC to commission largest number of officers at University of Northern Iowa since World War II, Saturday, May 6

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Eighteen graduating students in the Department of Military Science at the University of Northern Iowa will be commissioned as U.S. Army Second Lieutenants in an 8 a.m. ceremony Saturday, May 6, in the Maucker Union Expansion. Since 1982, 254 students have received their Army Officer's Commission through the UNI Army ROTC program.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley will be the guest speaker for the commissioning. Lt. Col. Mike DePuglio, head and professor of military science at UNI, will preside over the ceremony.

“The 2000 Commissioning Class is a milestone in the history of UNI,” said DePuglio. “Not since the officer training programs of the 1940s has UNI produced this many military officers.”

He added the class would also be remembered for its efforts to recognize UNI alumnus and Medal of Honor winner, Army 2nd Lt. Robert Hibbs, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1966. Through their work, a memorial will be erected to Hibbs this summer.

A special event also taking place at the Saturday morning ceremony, will be the awarding of the Air Medal for heroism to Jesse Loy, a mail carrier in UNI's Mail Services. While serving in the Republic of Vietnam, Loy was a private first class in the U.S. Army, participating in over 25 aerial missions over hostile territory, in support of combat ground forces, from July 1969 to January 1970.

Loy had the paperwork on his award, but he did not receive the medal upon his departure from the Army in 1970. He brought it to the attention of DePuglio and the faculty of the UNI ROTC Panther Battalion earlier this year, and through their efforts, the medal will be presented.

Being commissioned as second lieutenants in their respective units are: __(Name)__ of __(Address/Hometown)__, who will report for Office Basic Course (OBC) training with __(assignment)__. He/She is graduating Saturday with a bachelor's degree in __(major)__.

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Note: To obtain a listing of the students, please contact the Office of Public Relations at (319) 273-2761.

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