Marshall Magazine Summer 2022

T he year was 1951, and Marshall University was still Marshall College. That’s when the school was selected by the Department of the Army to partici pate in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. The original offices were housed in the OldMain Annex but a decade later were moved to the present location in Gullickson Hall. For more than seven decades the programhas helped hardworking students pay for their education and has produced a number of successful leaders in the United States military. Today, there are 30 cadets in Marshall’s ROTC program, which boasts a refreshed space in Gullickson Hall. “They come to ROTC because they want to be leaders,” said Lt. Col. Bret M. Bemis, professor of military science. “They learn to lead when in charge and follow when they aren’t.” Bemis said he marvels at the di versity of backgrounds and majors of the students in ROTC. These young men and women carry impressive academic and extracurricular loads such as molecular biology, criminal justice and cybersecurity, which is trending among cadets. Student athletes participate, too. “We have a football player on scholarship and a soccer player who is headed toWest Point,” Bemis noted. Kelli Brewer, recruiting opera tions officer at Marshall, explained that today’s Army is not just what you see on television or in movies. “It’s an actual career, and you can still have a life and still have fun,” Brewer said. “It’s not just infantries and guns a-blazing. In fact, 80% of the people in the military fill a sup port role. Small-statured females have a place in the military as do liberal arts and science majors, doctors, lawyers and engineers.” Retired United States Army Lt. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield earned his

commission fromMarshall University in 1982 and largely credits his ROTC foundation for his success in life, which now includes a career with the Boeing Company as vice president for Army systems — defense, space and security government operations. “I didn’t sign up thinking I’d try to be a three-star general,” Crutchfield said. “I signed up because college was taking a heavy financial toll on my parents. One day I was walking from Smith Hall to Twin Towers when I saw tables set up in the big field. Out of curiosity, I walked up to the one with the men in uniform. I signed up for a three-year scholarship. I had nothing to lose.” Crutchfield entered the ROTC programwhere he found an extension of his father’s discipline and work ethic and his mother’s compassion. “I still tuck the loops of shoe strings into my boots,” Crutchfield said. “I fondly remember all my instructors. They really cared about us and put us on a path to success. When you have superior mentorship and leadership to look up to, how can you not be successful?”

His path meant 35 years in the Army that culminated in a three star rank. “A three-star rank is like getting struck by lightning,” Crutchfield said. “I’m very proud of my rank. It’s rare but possible.” Possibility. That’s something he believes ROTC students at Marshall will tap into when they enter the program and earn their commission. It has worked for him and several other high-ranking Army officers, including two three-star generals, major generals and brigadier generals. “This program can transformpeo ple and open up a world to them that they might otherwise not get to expe rience,” Crutchfield said. “I’ve lived all around the world — Germany, Japan, Korea and 22 countries in Asia. I would never have been able to do that for myself and my family without the Army.” Crutchfield remains connected to Marshall by serving on a few of its boards, and when he returns to speak to ROTC cadets, his advice is this: “Work hard. Be kind and show compassion. Help people.

PHOTO BY RICK LEE

Maj. Danny Thornhill (left) and Lt. Col. Bret Bemis are not only military officers but also faculty members in military science at Marshall.

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