Dear Prospective Army Officers:
I appreciate your interest in learning more about becoming an Army officer – a leader of America’s soldiers.

America’s soldiers deserve good leaders who are grounded in our Army’s core values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. They need leaders who are disciplined…and have positive and inspiring attitudes…and who are innovative, respectful and committed to excellence as the standard in everything they do.

With a passion to make a difference for America and the world, a commitment to excelling in college and a thirst for world class training provided to you by a seasoned cadre of Army officers and non-commissioned officers, you can be an Army officer.

America’s soldiers are demonstrating the goodness of America and Americans every day around the world – Afghanistan, Iraq, Europe, Asia, South & Central America and here in the United States. They embody the generosity, kindness & acceptance that make us who we are.

Every day our soldiers bring the face of America to the people of the world; serving as America’s Ambassadors to people of every religion, ethnic heritage and nationality. Every day, America’s soldiers, led by Army officers, are truly making a difference for America, and the world.

Army ROTC provides the best leader development program in the world. No corporation or leadership institute can provide the combined classroom and hands-on leadership training, education and practice as Army ROTC. During the academic year, your focus is on academics – getting your degree -- with ROTC classroom instruction and labs complimenting that education.

During the summers following your Freshman & Sophomore years, you will have opportunities to go to Airborne, Air Assault or Northern Warfare schools. After your Junior year you’ll attend a 33 day leadership course at Ft. Lewis, Washington that will change you forever. There, you will improve upon the leadership and tactical skills you have learned on campus in a focused, controlled environment. The Army pools it’s very best officers and non-commissioned officers at Ft. Lewis every summer to train, develop, assess and counsel ROTC cadets. This active teaching, coaching and mentoring by world-class leaders is unique to ROTC and our Army.

What’s best about Army ROTC is that while learning to become an Army officer, you are interacting, socializing and learning with students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, political ideologies and goals. This dynamic on campus develops the team-building, negotiating and consensus-building skills that Army officers need in helping the people of the world establish democratic systems, govern & secure themselves and institutionalize freedom and human rights.

Becoming an Army officer in the Reserve Components or on Active Duty is not for everyone. But if you want to make a difference for America and for the world, and you see your self leading & moving organizations, there is no better way to make that happen than as an Army officer.

With great respect & warm regards,

Robert O. Kirkland
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Professor of Military Science & Leadership
Inland Empire Army ROTC Program at Claremont McKenna College