Florida Tech Army ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions Eight New U.S. Army Second Lieutenants During Ceremony

new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on their gold bars

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held its spring ceremony to commission eight new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, May 5.

The new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on their new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the ceremony.

Seven of the new officers also met the requirements to graduate from Florida Tech at the May Commencement, and one is graduating from Eastern Florida State College.

At the Commissioning Ceremony, the new officers heard messages and congratulations from the Interim President of Florida Tech, Robert King, J.D. The Guest Speaker was Karen Saunders, the Army’s Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, located in Orlando.

The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science.

The Cape Canaveral Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) was also on hand to present the new Lieutenants with “Gold Bar” commissioning sets and membership in MOAA.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Steve Bond, Past President of the MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter, congratulated the new officers on their achievement and wished them the best of luck as they begin their journey as officers in the United States Army.

The new Army Second Lieutenants are:

• Samuel T. Addington— a 2017 graduate of Cocoa Beach High School. He earned a B.S. degree from Eastern Florida State College in Applied Health Sciences and was commissioned as an active-duty Infantry Officer.

• Benjamin R. Chandra— a 2018 graduate of Melbourne High School. He earned a B.S. degree from Florida Tech in Aerospace Engineering and was commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer in the Florida National Guard.

• Brayan N. Cruz Mejia— a 2016 graduate of Heritage High School. He earned an associate degree from Florida State College in 2020 and a B.S. degree in Aviation Management from Florida Tech. He was commissioned as an active-duty Medical Service Corps Officer.

• David Decosta— a 2018 graduate of Melbourne Central High School. He earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and was commissioned as a Transportation Corp Officer in the Florida National Guard.

• Jacob Filer— a 2016 graduate of the Seoul American High School. He earned a B.S. degree from Florida Tech in Aeronautical Science. He was named Outstanding Senior in the College of Aeronautics and had an internship with NASA. He was commissioned as an active-duty Transportation Corps Officer.

• Jake Marzano—he graduated from High School in Rhode Island in 2018 and earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Tech. He was commissioned as an Engineer Officer in the Massachusetts National Guard.

• Mehki A. Tabron—he graduated in 2018 from High School in Maryland and earned a B.S. Degree in Aviation Management from Florida Tech. He was commissioned as an Active-Duty Transportation Corps Officer.

• Ethan A. White— a 2019 graduate of Merritt Island High School. He earned a B.A. degree from Florida Tech in Forensic Psychology and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Florida National Guard.

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