Ernst Resolution Commemorating 100th Anniversary of ROTC Passes Senate
| WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), an alum of the Iowa State University United States Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), released the following statement after her resolution to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States Army ROTC passed the Senate unanimously last night. “For a century, the United States Army ROTC has played a critical role in training our young men and women to lead and protect our national security and way of life. The Army ROTC is now available at over 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states, and has become an essential program for the training of our next generation of leaders and defense of our nation. I am pleased my Senate colleagues have joined me in commemorating 100 years of the Army ROTC’s extraordinary service and achievements.” The Army ROTC program was established under the National Defense Act of 1916. Senator Ernst received her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University where she joined the university’s ROTC program. After graduating, Ernst was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, and after a few years in the Reserves, transferred to the Iowa National Guard. In 2003, she served as a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq, leading 150 Iowa Army National Guardsmen during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Senator Ernst retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard in November 2015 after more than 23 years of military service. # # # |
