The New Mexico State University U.S. Air Force and Army ROTC are eager to bring back the traditional public display of their cadets during a formal ceremony after a two-year hiatus due to pandemic restrictions.
The 120th annual Presidential Pass-in-Review ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 28 at the Aggie Pride Field on the NMSU Horseshoe. The public is invited to attend.
More than 175 NMSU ROTC cadets are expected to participate and will be joined by approximately 80 high school students from Junior ROTC programs in the region.
It’s the first time for NMSU’s Air Force ROTC Commander Lt. Col. Dana Bochte to see the cadets all together in this joint event.
“This is actually my first year here, so I'm very curious to see how it goes especially after not being able to do it for the last two years,” Bochte said. “I think it'll go smoothly.”
The Pass-in-Review ceremony is based off of the active-duty military’s inspection processes. It is a formal display of the strength and unity of a detachment as well as promoting teamwork and pride within an organization.
Cadets will fire the canon to begin the event. Guest speakers will include retired Brig. Gen. Eric Sanchez and NMSU Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Ruth Johnston. Air Force and Army ROTC cadets will then present in parade formation along with the band for inspection.
Pass-in-Review is intended to demonstrate he hard work NMSU Army and Air Force cadets have invested during the year to work together seamlessly as a team.
“Even through our programs have separate end goals as far as commission in the Army versus commission in the Air Force or Space Force, we do have a lot of overlap, and integration within Young Hall.” Bochte said. “We do several events throughout the year that are joint events. There are a lot of shared training objectives. But this is our culminating joint event of the year.”
When the ceremony concludes, the cadets will gather in Hardman-Jacobs Undergraduate Learning Center for the presentation of awards and scholarships for the coming year.
Ceremonies are free and open to the public. Visitor parking passes are available from the NMSU parking website at http://auxadminforms.nmsu.edu/ParkingForms/ePermit.aspx.
For more information about NMSU’s ROTC program, visit https://armyrotc.nmsu.edu.
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