NORAD Commander General Ed Eberhart inspected the approximately 350 Reserved Officer Training Corps cadets in Boston University’s ROTC program, which includes students from several other area colleges, at the 20th annual tri-service Presidential Pass-in-Review Saturday.
But because of inclement weather, which forced ROTC officials to move the event inside to BU’s Track and Tennis Center, guests did not witness a 17-gun cannon salute, a fly-over of F-15s or an arial demonstration from a precision parachute team, all of which had been scheduled as part of the ceremony. The event was originally scheduled to take place at Nickerson Field.
Eberhart, Commander in Chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, was this year’s event special guest. He spoke briefly to the cadets as they stood in formation.
Eberhart said recent actions have shown the military to be ‘not armies of occupation, but, as President Bush says, armies of liberation.’ Eberhart also praised the dedication and selflessness of the men and women now serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
‘Generations of Americans have answered the call, all prepared to be the greatest generation,’ Eberhart said. ‘The next 35 years will be even more exciting than the last 35, which were defined by the Cold War, Vietnam War and space.’
Eberhart commended the cadets’ dedication to the ROTC and America.
‘You will answer our nation’s call; you will do what is necessary,’ he said. ‘No matter how long you serve, you will never be sorry you served.’
On a theme of ‘past, present, and future,’ Eberhart also mentioned Massachusetts’ role in the Revolutionary War and the long history of the ROTC program at Boston University.
‘What a legacy this nation has built on,’ Eberhart said. ‘The intelligence and dedication of the past … are a debt we can never repay.’
Midshipman Tom Chiccarelli, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman, called the ceremony ‘a good way to show how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned.’
The BU ROTC program involves more than just BU students, he said. Boston University is a host school its program includes students from nearby colleges that do not have their own programs.
Students from Boston College, Northeastern University and Bridgewater State College come to BU one day a week to participate in the ROTC program, Chiccarelli said.
The Pass in Review, which is open to the public, is also a time when the ROTC cadets can show their friends and family a bit of what they have been working on, several cadets said.
Midshipman Steve Woskov, a College of Engineering freshman, joked that the purpose of the Pass in Review is for ‘showing off.’
Kathy Tarbi and her family came to Boston to watch her son Luke, a sophomore midshipman, in the ceremony.
‘BU is one of the only schools with all the branches [of the ROTC program],’ Tarbi said. ‘This is where they all come together.’
During the ceremony, Midshipman Michael Kiser, a CAS senior, received a Massachusetts Historical Society Award, which is presented annually to an undergraduate student. Kiser received the award for his ‘excellent work in the field of history and political science,’ BU professor Joachim Maitre said.
The United States Navy Band of Newport played the national anthem and a medley of the military service songs. Chancellor John Silber also attended the inspection.
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