Truman State University Army ROTC

(4/4) We are so proud to officially introduce 2nd Lieutenants:

Celia Battson
Hunter Bowman
Kayla Duggan
Alex Fellows
Elizabeth Shirrell
Caleb Strathman

You all have earned this accomplishment and truly been amazing additions to the Bulldog Battalion, we are so excited to see where your journey in the Army takes you!

(3/4) A few words from our provost & first salutes!!

(2/4) They were first sworn in under oath, followed by the pinning of the gold bars and then their first salutes. We are so proud of all they have done, and wish them so much success!!

(1/4) On May 11, 2024 a class of very diligent and hardworking 400s were promoted to Second Lieutenant’s of the United States Army. They have worked incredibly hard to get to this point in their life and we wish them the best. This marks a key pivot point in their lives and we cannot wait to see where life takes them.

During the ceremony we had the honor of listening to our guest speaker retired Colonel Billy Burse. He enlightened us with his knowledge on what it means to be an officer and gave us great advice for the future! He also handed these new officers a special Army Veteran Challenge Coin along with a book he wrote. We are so honored and thankful for his presence on such a grand day.

Congratulations to Kerris Taylor, a senior from Poplar Bluff, MO, for receiving a 3 year Army ROTC scholarship! We are looking forward to her future in the Bulldog Battalion!

May 10th, 2023 — Exactly one year ago today we lost a member of the Bulldog Battalion. Josh Casey was an active member of ROTC, track and field, the Jewish Student Union, JujiTSU Ultimate Frisbee, and Stargazers Astronomy Club.

His death affected many throughout the battalion and throughout Truman State campus. He was a fun and energetic person to be around and we miss him greatly, and grieve for his close friends and family who are deeply affected by his loss.

A memorial plaque honoring him can be found in Barnett along the upstairs hallway, thanks to contributions from the previously mentioned clubs. It was precisely at 5:37 p.m. that his mother received this tragic news over the phone. We kindly request that you pause today at 5:37 p.m. and remember Josh and how fragile life is. Gone, but not forgotten. Fly high, Josh.🪽

Military Ball 2024💃🏼🕺🏼

A couple weekends ago the Bulldog Battalion had its Military Ball. A huge thank you to Dr. Hughes for being our guest speaker, and Sue Thomas for her undoubted support each year! Another huge thank you to our donors and all those who helped make it possible!

At this year’s Military Ball, awards were handed out to cadets who really went above and beyond their peers. It was a nice chance to recognize the hard work that goes on to create such a great program!

A few of the awards given out included:

⭐️ The AUSA Saber Award : CDT Elizabeth Shirrell

⭐️The National Defense Transportation Award: CDT Celia Battson

⭐️USAA Spirit Award: CDT Alex Fellows

⭐️Daughters of the American Revolution Award: CDT Kayla Duggan

⭐️Veterans of Foreign Wars of the USA Award: CDT Hric

⭐️Outstanding Cadet Award: CDTs Macy Bowles, Alyssa Cotter, and Trenton Simmons

⭐️Superior Cadet Decoration Award: Hunter Hobbs

⭐️Cadet Commendation Award: CDT Taylor & Strathman

⭐️The American Legion Scholastic Excellence Award: CDT Andrew Schroeder

⭐️American Legion Military Excellence Award: CDTs Bowman, Huskey, and Klingensmith

The rest of the night was full of good food, dancing, and fun times! Thank you to everyone who came out and made it possible!

📸:

Out with the old, and in with the new‼️

On April 30th the official Change of Command ceremony was initiated — handing the off the reigns to the upcoming senior class as the current class prepares for commissioning in just a few days 🎓🥳

Super excited to see what’s in store for the Bulldog Battalion!

Need something FUN & FREE to do on Reading Day? Come and enjoy a well-deserved study break by visiting the rappel tower and participating in a 45-foot tower rappel (only if you want to)! There will be plenty of free BBQ food, including hot dogs, burgers, drinks, and more courtesy of the ROTC Department!

Tell your friends and come down to South Florence Street, where you can find the Rappel Tower and the sweet smell of barbecue! It’s going to be a blast, we hope to see you there!!!

#2024

9 𝑺𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑶𝑳𝑺 = 9𝒙 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑭𝑼𝑵

SPRING 24’ CFTX

Cadets from all across 3rd Brigade ROTC came together to conduct a large-scale field training exercise in order to get MS300 cadets ready for Cadet Summer Training (CST) this summer!

For this event -- Truman State ROTC, Missouri S&T, Mizzou, MO State, SIUC, SIUE, UCM, WashU, and Lincoln joined forces. Cadre and upperclassmen collaborated to create an atmosphere that was very similar to CST in order to better prepare these cadets!

Overall, everything went incredibly well, and we are really grateful for all of the assistance in planning such a large event! We couldn't be more pleased with our juniors' performance, our freshmen and sophomores' leadership roles, and our MS400s' diligence behind the scenes!

Next stop ⏩️ CST‼️

You already know — what day it is?!

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Last of the yearrrrr — SAY WHAT⁉️

Cadets killed it this Tuesday and Wednesday capitalizing on their last chance at increasing their ACFT score before camp for our MS300s and graduation for our seniors!

While the other cadets were at SuperLab this past Saturday, CDT Duggan was in Kansas City to compete in the Rock The Parkway Half Marathon! 🏃‍♀️

Rock the Parkway Half Marathon donates to Children’s Mercy Hospital and helps aid kids in getting the care they need! This year there were nearly 5,000 participants!

The Rock the Parkway course, along historic Ward Parkway, is one of the most scenic in the Midwest. The fairly flat terrain, together with the long downhill finish, makes it one of the fastest half marathon courses in the area!

CDT Duggan is just one of many very self-driven and hardworking cadets in the Bulldog Battalion! Whatever your personal goals or ambitions are, Truman ROTC supports them and wants to help you get there!

Congratulations CDT Duggan on running 13.1 miles, we are so proud of your hardwork and dedication!🎉👏💜

#13.1

SUPERLAB SATURDAY‼️‼️

This past weekend cadets ventured out to the Radar Site, a couple miles from Kirksville to conduct a Super Lab🔥

MS300s were able to get many different STX lanes iterations and different special skills familiarization in before our CFTX in just a couple weeks! Everyone had a good time and cadets are feeling confident in their abilities! 😎💪

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Joey Jolly on commissioning into the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant!! 👏🎉🥳

We are so proud of all the hard work and growth you’ve done to get to this moment, and we know you’re going to do amazing things wherever you go!

Jolly will be an Ordinance Officer in the Missouri National Guard while pursuing higher education at The University of Kansas!

Such an amazing accomplishment! Congrats!

Highlights from the Truman Experience Weekend!!💜🐶

Future students got a chance to see what it’s really like to be apart of the Truman State culture with lots of activities and experiences! We had the pleasure of meeting some of our scholarship recipients Hannah Green and Kerris Taylor!

Assistant Professor of Military Science Captain Donnelly can be seen handing Hannah Green her big 3 year scholarship check!

We are so excited to have both of these stellar ladies in the Bulldog Battalion, and we look forward to all that’s ahead of them!

WATER PT ANYONE?! 💦

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙇𝙈𝙊𝙎𝙏 𝙁𝙍𝙄𝘿𝘼𝙔 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣’ 😎✌️

P.S. - 5️⃣1️⃣ DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL 🙌 We can’t believe it either! Finish strong bulldogs!!

BATAAN MEMORIAL DEATH MARCH 2024 🥾

Cadets Huskey, Fellows & Shirrell spent a portion of their spring break this year rucking 26.2 miles in New Mexico!

On April 9, 1942, approximately 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers submitted to Japanese forces, leading to the historic Bataan Death March. Many people died during the days-long march for over 65 miles in the intense heat, until U.S. and Filipino forces eventually retook the territory in 1945.

People travel from all over the world to take part in order to challenge themselves, show respect for those who had to endure the unthinkable, and cultivate a sense of community with those around them. We are so impressed with Fellows, Huskey, and Shirrell for their perseverance and tenacity in completing the full 26.2 miles!

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Emma Taylor for officially contracting!! 🥳🥳

We are thrilled to have Emma stay with us, as she has been an essential member of our battalion for the past two years! She has an amazing personality and is a fantastic leader. We have no doubt that you will thrive in these years to come! Congrats Emma!! 🤜🏻🤛🏻

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY💖💪🏼
The amazing ladies of the Bulldog Battalion define themselves as:













We are happy to celebrate the women in our lives today and everyday! Comment a hashtag that describes you below! 👇

Mark your calendars!

March 20th, 2024 Truman State University will be hosting a TRU-Biz event that you do not want to miss! The TRU-Biz Forum invites business leaders in a variety of fields to share their expertise and insights. This year the focus is LEADERSHIP‼️

2024 PANELISTS:

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐲 (’𝟗𝟓)

* Commanding General Deployment Support Command
* Deputy Commander for Operations Surface Deployment & Distribution Command

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 (‘𝟗𝟒)

* Senior VP & Head of Lead Management
for Consumer Lending Business Lines US Bank

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧

* Senior Manager in Engineering Nestlé Purina PetCare Company
* Assistant Adjutant General Missouri National Guard

𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧

* Assistant Program Manager for Program Executive Office Soldier US Army
* Assistant Program Manager for PEO Soldier at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, working on the Next Generation Squad Weapons program

We are SO EXCITED to hear from these individuals and their expertise within their fields. Please join us on March 20th, 2024 from 3:30-5pm in Violette Hall 1000. Networking will follow at 5pm!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Jacob Baughman for enlisting in the Missouri National Guard this past week!

Jacob is from Putnam County and will be enlisting as an 88M, a Motor Transport Operator. We are so proud of his commitment, congrats Jacob Baughman!!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙍𝙊𝙏𝘾.

LAB 10: 𝐀𝐌·𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐇
𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯
1. a surprise attack by people lying in wait in a concealed position.

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, this past Wednesday, cadets conducted multiple iterations in order to prep our MS300s for camp! Who doesn’t love a good sneak attack? 💪🏼

𝓢𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝔂.

For the past two years Truman State University Army ROTC has finished in the top 15% across the nation according to the United States Army Cadet Command!

Senior ROTC cadets are annually ranked against other cadets across the country on an Order of Merit List (OML). Truman State is ranked fifth out of 42 schools in the 3rd Brigade, placing us in the top 12% of all schools.

This is a fantastic achievement for Truman State’s ROTC Department and a clear reflection of the the hard work that has been put in by these cadets. An achievement that puts Truman State University and Kirksville, MO on the map! 🗺️

BRRR🥶-ING ON THE SNOW! ❄️

Cadets conducted their first mission-oriented lab this past week, the first of many to come! This semester we are focusing on the walk-run portion of the crawl-walk-run phases of training. Junior cadets are being given OPORDS & expected to brief and complete their respective missions, with the aid of the MS400s.

Despite the cold temps & very slushy terrain, the Bulldog Battalion executed well and completed two hasty attack lanes successfully! Being able to improvise, adapt, and overcome obstacles within missions is key 🔑 to success.

One things for sure, with this Missouri weather you never know quite what you’re gonna get!

NEGATIVE TEMPS, NO PROBLEM 😤🥶

These cadets are only five weeks away from facing the ice, snow, and hills of Lacrosse, Wisconsin. The countdown is on! With temperatures starting at -11°F and ending at a pleasant -2°F, today was the perfect weather for training!

CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER!!

On January 18th, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm ROTC will be hosting a scavenger hunt on Truman’s Campus! Teams of 3-5 Truman Students will receive a series of clues and will have to find up to 6 points hidden throughout campus. The top team will receive a swag prize!

The event is open to all Truman students. You can sign up either by filling out the form through the QR or the link below. If you and a few of your friends want to participate, come to Barnett Hall, room 1211, 5 minutes before the event begins at 3:00 pm on January 18th.

DM us with questions or email Benjamin Tracy at btracy.truman.edu.

SIGN UP LINK: https://forms.office.com/r/9kb96A96L6