The lives of over two dozen ETSU cadets were forever changed last Thursday as they became recipients of cadet awards and scholarships at the 2023 Buccaneer Battalion Honors Day.
This year’s Buccaneer Battalion Honors Day ceremony took place in the Martha Culp Street Auditorium; a reception for the cadets and their guests followed in The Cave.
Awards and scholarships were presented to cadets from military affiliated organizations. Presenters of these honors varied throughout the ceremony–from ETSU cadre to military families and supporters of the ROTC program.
Major Scott Shard, an instructor in the ROTC program, and also someone who has become a mentor to many of the cadets outside of their studies, said that the Honors Day ceremony is a way to recognize the efforts of the cadets.
“I think it’s a validation of all their good hard work,” Maj. Shard said. “Sometimes they think that it doesn’t amount to much, but we like to recognize them, because we’ve been watching; we’ve seen them progress from one level and certainly take it to the next level.”
ROTC instructors were not the only ones proud of the honored cadets; in fact the loudest cheers came from the cadets themselves as they celebrated their fellow classmates.
Cadet Carson Frizzell was present at the ceremony; he is one of the Buccaneer Battalion’s seniors.
For Frizzell, the ceremony is a continuation of the legacy of the ETSU ROTC program. He also sees its importance in that it reaffirms the values of the program for younger cadets.
“The biggest thing that we want our future cadets to take away is not only the seriousness of our line of work, but [also] to have a competitive class,” Frizzell said.
The benefits of competition were a major focus during the ceremony; cadets and instructors highlighted the importance of individual growth through competition with fellow cadets in the Battalion.
“Being first place does matter for us,” Frizzell said. “If we’re not first place then that typically means soldiers are dying or we’re not winning our nation’s battles against our nation’s enemies.”
For Cadet Frizzell, attending the ceremony also had personal significance.
“I hope it always makes sure that I remember where I came from,” Frizzell said. “No matter where I might go in the world, no matter what wars I might fight in, I hope that I always remember that these are the people I’m fighting for and that the values and traditions I was raised with here are the reasons why I do what I do in the army.”
This year, the ROTC program celebrates 70 years at ETSU. Many cadets have come and gone from the Buccaneer Battalion, but it remains clear that their ties to one another and to ETSU remain steadfast.
For more information on the ETSU ROTC program, visit: www.etsu.edu/cbat/rotc/.
For more information on the history of the Buccaneer Battalion, visit: www.etsu.edu/cbat/rotc/history.php.
