Seven ROTC cadets commissioned as Army officers
Seven McDaniel graduating seniors, who served as members of the Green Terror Battalion, received commissions as Army officers on May 22. The keynote speaker for the ceremony was retired Col. James Martin Jr. ’93, a vice president of executive technology services for Gartner’s large enterprise division and the 2024-25 president of the McDaniel College Alumni Council.
Members of the Green Terror Battalion were commissioned as Army officers at 10 a.m. on May 22, in a ceremony in Baker Memorial Chapel. Cadets from Mount St. Mary’s University and Hood College were commissioned in separate ceremonies.
McDaniel President Julia Jasken shared opening remarks, thanking veterans in the audience, and congratulating the seven new Army officers while sharing her confidence that they will go on to do great things.
"The Green Terror Battalion has commissioned more lieutenants than the state's flagship university — which we're very proud of — and twelve of our graduates have gone on to become generals," President Jasken says.
Retired Col. James Martin Jr. ’93
The keynote speaker for the ceremony was retired Col. James Martin Jr. ’93, who is a vice president of executive technology services for Gartner’s large enterprise division. Martin is also the 2024-25 president of the McDaniel College Alumni Council.
Martin retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army after over 25 years of service. His most notable military assignments included Garrison Installation Commander, Fort Dix, New Jersey; Deputy, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Army Reserve; CIO, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command; and Planning Officer, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), LSA Anaconda, Balad, Iraq.
Martin graduated with a degree in Political Science from McDaniel College and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Information Technology Management from Webster University, a Master of Science in Strategy and Operational Planning from the National Defense University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (two Silver Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (two Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Bronze Hourglass and “M” device, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon. His badges include the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge, the British Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
Martin shared how he remembered how he felt at his own Commissioning at then-Western Maryland College, and went on to encourage the new lieutenants to hold on to their bonds with others moving forward through life.
"This McDaniel education has given you a blueprint for lifelong learning. It's exposed you to both the sciences and the humanities, and readers are truly leaders in this day and age," Martin told the graduates.
"If you're doing it alone, you're doing it wrong, because success in life and in the Army is a team sport," he went on to say. "So build strong collaborative teams and partnerships with your peers.
Jolie A. Gray of Chesapeake City, Maryland, was recognized with the Lieutenant General (R) Otto Guenther Leadership Award, which annually goes to the commissioning cadet who best exemplifies the character, morals, leadership, and lifelong dedication demonstrated by the late Otto Guenther, a 1963 alumnus and former chair of McDaniel’s Board of Trustees, both to the U.S. Army and to his alma mater.
Jolie A. Gray accepts the Lieutenant General (R) Otto Guenther Leadership Award from Lieutenant Colonel Jason D. Johnson, professor of Military Science.
The following McDaniel seniors took the oath of office and received commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army:
