ROTC Holds Winter Commissioning Ceremony

Radford University’s Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) commissioned Cadet Lilyan G. Field as a U.S. Army officer in a ceremony Friday in the foyer of the Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

Field has earned the rank of second lieutenant, and was granted authority by the United States Army to carry out her duties as a newly commissioned officer.

The Vienna native, who majored in psychology at RU, will move on to the Army signal corps for 16 weeks of training at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Ga. Following training, she will relocate with her reserve unit to Denver.

Opening Friday’s Highlander Detachment ceremony, Captain Chris Blanc called Field an “incredibly gifted officer” and said “it has been a privilege to see someone with this much foresight grow and mature into what she’s become.”

Conducting the Oath of Office was Field’s fiancé, Second Lieutenant Jonathan Dove (B.S. ’10, M.S. ’13). Field’s parents, Kathleen and Brian Field, next performed the traditional pinning of insignia on Field’s uniform. Providing the ceremonial first salute was Field’s uncle, Corporal Daniel Field. After the salute, Daniel Field shook hands with his niece and handed her a silver dollar, an Army tradition for newly commissioned second lieutenants. “Thank you,” she said with a vibrant smile.

The RU Army ROTC program is one of the nation's largest partnership schools out of 717 across the nation. The program was established in 1978 under a cross-enrollment agreement between the presidents of RU and Virginia Tech. In 1980, an agreement between RU and Cadet Command allowed the RU ROTC program to offer two, three, three and one half and four year scholarships.

To see more photos of the 2013 Winter Commencement cermonies, visit the commencement photo album on Facebook or catch up with a video recording of the event.