Widener University’s ROTC program celebrated its 2024 Commissioning Ceremony in Alumni Auditorium on Wednesday, May 22 with 13 cadets taking the oath of office as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

Seven Widener students were among the cadets commissioned. The group of 13 hailed from three area universities and all trained through the Dauntless Battalion unit at Widener, where they engaged in the hands-on, intense military training that has prepared them for successful careers. Family members pinned the new rank to their dress uniforms, and each officer shared a silver dollar with the individual they selected to give them their first salute – a military tradition.

The seven officers who earned their undergraduate degrees from Widener last week, and the military careers for which they prepared, included:

• Connor Ciccone, nursing
• Samantha Coon, military police
• Caleb Dahl, field artillery
• Kevin Draeger, medical services
• Joo Hong, quartermaster
• Luke Spera, engineer
• Anthony Steglik, quartermaster

Coon, Dahl and Draeger commissioned with distinguished military graduate honors.

The program speaker Kenneth Wong, a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, advised the new officers to acknowledge their responsibility as leaders. Wong shared his keys to good leadership- humility, empathy, courage, listening and learning, and encouraging your fellow soldiers. 

Pennsylvania Military College alumnus Dave McNulty ’63 presented the saber to the top cadet of this class. McNulty reflected on his own commissioning, 61 years ago, and shared words of wisdom with the newly commissioned cadets. 

“I come to you as a voice from the past. It’s the same message we received at my commissioning in 1959,” McNulty said. “Character counts. It counted then, and it counts today more than ever.”
 

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