To witness a commissioning ceremony is to see a celebration of America at its best. This past Monday, I had the privilege of watching a superb young woman take her place in our nation’s military. Arianna D. Astorga pledged that “…I do solemnly swear that I will defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”
The ceremony and oath are short, simple, and profound, a rite of passage as old as America as each generation takes its place in the hard, dangerous-and necessary-work of the defense of our country. All over America, young men and women of every race and background will be entrusted with our nation’s most precious resource, the lives of the men and women under their command. It is an awesome and humbling responsibility.
Of the thousands of officers commissioned through ROTC, most will return to civilian life in a few years, their lives made better by their service. Some, like General and Secretary of State Colin Powell, will go on to great things from a humble beginning. Located in colleges across the country, ROTC is a huge force for social mobility.
When I stood and saluted during the National Anthem and watched the ceremony, the years melted away. It was once again a fine summer’s day in “…this eighth day of June in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two-hundred and ninth…” at a small college in Georgia where I was commissioned in the Air Force. The subsequent thirty-nine years have been quite an adventure. I have no idea where my college diploma is, but my commissioning certificate is framed and hanging in my den. Godspeed Lieutenant Astorga!
The Natchitoches Parish Journal is donating the event photography. Anyone may download any photos they wish.
