ROTC To Commission 11 Students As 2nd Lieutenants May 18

Baylor University Air Force ROTC will commission 11 graduating students as 2nd Lieutenants in the United States Air Force at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in Barfield Drawing Room at the Bill Daniel Student Center. Guest speaker for the commissioning service will be retired Lt. Gen. Phil Ford, general manager of the Brazos River Authority.
Ford, who retired from active duty in July 2000, was commissioned into the Air Force in 1967. He has commanded 8th Air Force, the 384th Bomb Wing, and the 524th Bomb Squadron; has served as commandant of the Air Command and Staff College; and has held key staff positions at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Military Airlift Command, Air Mobility Command and U.S. Strategic Command. A highly-decorated pilot, he has more than 4,200 flight hours and has been awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, an Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, a Defense Superior Service Medal and a Distinguished Service Medal, among others.
Receiving their commissions will be Jon Clough, who will receive his bachelor's degree in history and will be an air battle manager at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida; Jennifer Geeslin, who majored in speech communications and will be a public affairs officer at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico; Michael Hamilton, who will receive his degree in economics and will work as a medical services corps officer at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida; Eric Haley, who majored in political science and will be a personnel officer at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington; and Tommy Marshall II, who majored in mathematics and will be a communication computers officer at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.
Also to be commissioned will be Laurianne Martin, who will receive a bachelor of business administration degree and will be a personnel officer at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia; Raul Sandoval, who earned his bachelor of science degree and will be a space and missile operations officer at Vandenburg Air Force Base in California; Jennifer Taylor, who majored in music education and will serve as an administrative officer for the Baylor ROTC; Heather Thompson, who majored in speech pathology/audiology and will serve as a supply officer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma; Troy Thompson, who will earn his bachelor degree in secondary education and will be an air battle manager at Tyndall; and Erika Tillman, who received her degree in health sciences and will be an aircraft maintenance officer at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.
Baylor's ROTC detachment was formed in 1948 and is one of the nation's oldest Air Force ROTC units. It recently commissioned its 1,000th officer. Of its more than 1,000 commissioned officers, nine have become generals -- a much higher percentage than most programs can boast.
For more information about the commissioning ceremony, contact Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bowles, commanding officer of the ROTC unit, at 710-3513.