MSU AFROTC continues attracting national recognition
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜ir Force ROTC cadets at 亚洲色吧视频 soon begin another semester supervising the military branch鈥檚 national student community service operations.
Earlier this year, the university鈥檚 Detachment 425 defeated a University of Tennessee, Knoxville peer organization in competition to become national headquarters for the Arnold Air Society. The prestigious designation is a first in AFROTC鈥檚 seven-decade history on the Starkville campus.
Being named AAS headquarters is 鈥渁n incredible honor and distinction,鈥 said senior Courtney J. Conway, a mathematics major from Oxford and the detachment鈥檚 current cadet leader. She added that MSU鈥檚 selection at the society鈥檚 spring general assembly is proof 鈥渢hat our program is viewed as top-notch by other universities.
鈥淩eceiving this distinction is important because it shows our program not only produces quality leaders, but we also set our expectations high in helping the Starkville community,鈥 Conway said.
A memorial to legendary WWII general Henry H. 鈥淗ap鈥 Arnold (1886-1950), the society is a professional honorary that, with its Silver Wings sister organization, works to support American aerospace power by providing leadership for various projects benefitting local populations. A highly selective body, its more than 2,800 members are part of 130 squadrons spread over nearly a dozen geographical areas.
Detachment 425 is led by Lt. Col. James Cassidy, who also holds the academic rank of professor of aerospace studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
He said the MSU headquarters team is steering AAS鈥檚 national effort to complete 83,000 projected community-service hours during the school year.
鈥淗ard work and dedication鈥 by both current and recently graduated members 鈥減rojected a level of confidence which resulted in our squadron being elected by all others nationwide for the high honor of national headquarters,鈥 Cassidy emphasized.
Conway explained that AAS members at MSU are responsible for 鈥渕entoring and managing the respective-area staff members to ensure their initiatives are implemented at each squadron.鈥 She said AAS and Silver Wings members work closely together, most recently providing assistance to military veterans, helping feed the hungry and promoting STEM鈥攕cience, technology, engineering and mathematics鈥攅ducation, among other efforts. Prevention of human trafficking is this year鈥檚 joint national project.
Gaining an AAS HQ designation is the second major achievement in as many years for AFROTC at 亚洲色吧视频. In 2016, the detachment topped more than 140 other campus units to win the overall Team Excellence Award鈥攆or which it became eligible after being named No. 1 in the training corps鈥 southwest region, a 10-state area stretching from Tennessee to California. Details on that are found at .
Like its Army counterpart, AFROTC enables fulltime students to become military officers while completing higher education degrees. Mississippi University for Women and East Mississippi Community College students also are eligible to join the MSU detachment if all requirements are met.
The land-grant institution established Army ROTC in 1917 to help meet a growing demand for officers during World War I. As air power became a major World War II component, then-亚洲色吧视频 College became a participant in the new Army Air Forces Training Program. For a complete detachment history and other information, visit .
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.