Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions Two U.S. Army Second Lieutenants
By Marilyn Sanford, MOAACC Public Relations // December 19, 2019
Both Lieutenants earned the gold German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge as cadets
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Florida Institute of Technology ROTC Panther Battalion commissioned two Army Second Lieutenants on December 13.
Second Lieutenants Chase Causey and Alicia Maldonado took the oath of office with Panther Battalion Cadets, cadre, family and friends in attendance.
Causey, a native of Blackfoot, Idaho was commissioned in the Infantry engineers.
Maldonado is a graduate of Merritt Island High School and was commissioned into the Chemical Corps.
Major General John Dreska, U.S. Army Retired, presented the new officers with their first “Gold Bars” — the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the Army — and welcomed the two new Lieutenants into the Military Officers Association of America on behalf of the Cape Canaveral Chapter.
Brigadier General Michael Sloane, Army Program Executive Officer for Simulations, Training and Instrumentation in Orlando was the guest speaker.
Dr. T. Dwayne McCay, President of Florida Tech also spoke at the ceremony. All the speakers reminded the new Lieutenants of the responsibilities and future challenges they will face as officers in the Army.
Related Story:Lt. Col. Scott Waggoner Shapes Merritt Island JROTC Program into Powerhouse Among High Schools in Florida
Second Lieutenant Maldonado majored in Medical Biological Sciences and received a three-year ROTC Scholarship while at Florida Tech.
As part of her cadet training, she participated with West Point Cadets during field training at Camp Buckner, NY. Second Lieutenant Causey majored in Construction Management.
He attended Camp Summer Training at Fort Knox, KY, and then interned as part of the Cadet Leadership Training Program as a Platoon Leader in a Combat Aviation Brigade in Hawaii.
Both Lieutenants earned the gold German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge as cadets.
