XO’s Exclamations
Commander Kerr
Greetings, Battalion! I am happy to see another successful semester coming to an end. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we had a great time at the 1/C Dining In and the Spring Ball. Those were two fantastic events, rich with Naval tradition, that culminated our academic year. Now, there is a lot of excitement in the air as we prepare to see our 1/C Midshipman graduate and commission. This is a tremendous accomplishment and a major milestone in their lives. On that note, I am proud to announce that we have two ROTC Student Marshals that were selected by the Joint ROTC Commanders.
Unfortunately, for me, this is the last time I will get to see our graduates take the oath. I have my next set of orders and I am scheduled to depart the pattern this June. I am heading down to the Newport News, VA area so if you find yourself down there, look me up! That said, I have spoken with the prospective XO, and he is excited to get here. His name is CDR Donald Carter and he is coming to us from Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet out of Yokosuka, Japan. He has a wealth of experience being prior-enlisted while he worked his way through the Navy Nuclear Power Training Unit (NNPTU), a tour aboard the USS SOUTH CAROLINA, and a return to NNPTU for an instructor tour. He then went on to graduate and commission through OCS. He is a Naval Aviator (helicopter pilot) and is qualified in the SH-60B and SH-60S, so we will keep the “aviation love” alive and well in the XO’s office! His callsign is “OAF” which I will let you figure out with him, but I’ll give you a hint – it is an acronym, and the first word is “Old”!
I have truly enjoyed my time here in the Unit. It has been a pleasure to watch you all grow as leaders, and I can say without a doubt that the Unit is stronger now than when I first arrived. I have watched in amazement as you all have navigated the battalion through some trying times. Through each challenge, I have watched you come out stronger on the other end! I regret that I will not be here to see all of you graduate and take the oath, but that being said, I will keep my eye on Navy news so that I can keep up-to-date as you all go out and do great things.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Battalion. I wish you all the best, and I’ll see you in the Fleet.
Midshipmen of the Month
MIDN 2/C Landis
MIDN 4/C Pena
Navy Heritage Ball
On April 21, 2023, the Battalion and guests celebrated the Navy Heritage Ball, marking the 247th year of being the world’s greatest maritime fighting force. The Guest of Honor Rear Admiral Liz Young, who served as an Aerospace Engineer Officer, spoke about the relevance of Low Earth Orbit in our future careers. Following her speech, the cake-cutting the ceremony occurred, having the oldest sailor and the four youngest midshipman commissioning take a bite.
Midshipmen commissioning in the spring were recognized by their service selection. Surface Warfare selects were given a pair of coveralls, Naval Aviation selects were given boots, Information Professional and Cryptologic selects were given blue-light glasses, and Submarine Warfare selects received a cribbage board.
Midshipmen Out and About
Ohio State MEC
The Nittany Battalion participated in the Ohio State Military Excellence Competition in March, among other universities. Teams of Midshipmen participated in events such as rifle and pistol shooting, endurance racing, platoon and squad drill, color guard, tug-of-war, weightlifting, and ship handling. Penn State Midshipmen swept the competition, placing first in multiple events, and overall winning the entire competition. Overall, the Ohio State MEC allowed Penn State Midshipmen to show off the skills they have learned at the unit, which have been focused on for the last few months. Some highlights to include from the event are the endurance teams trekking through knee-deep water, friendly competition against Ohio State in tug-of-war, and platoon drills near perfect card. We congratulate everyone that participated in the MEC and strongly encourage others to partake next year.
Marine Option Field Exercise
The Marine Option Midshipmen kicked off their annual Field Exercise Training. This event provides the Midshipmen an opportunity to practice their skills in land navigation, small unit tactics, and wilderness survival. The 2/C Midshipmen led their squads and fireteams through a variety of simulated combat situations and Small Unit Leadership Evaluations (SULE) over two days, giving them the chance to prepare for Officer Candidate School (OCS).
In addition to SULEs, the Midshipmen also individually took on a night land navigation course. They completed a ruck and learned to catch, prepare, and cook rainbow trout. Several Navy Option Midshipmen participated as opposing forces throughout the FEX to simulate real combat situations.
This event was the culmination of weeks of preparation and training, as well as an organization from the MECEPs and 1/C Marine options.
Notre Dame Conference
Midshipmen had the opportunity to attend Notre Dame University’s annual Naval Leadership weekend. The conference featured talks from Maj. Thomas Rigby, MGySgt. Nicholas Williams, and LtCol. Trent Gibson (Ret.), discussed various aspects of leadership and how they applied them in their careers. The following day, Medal of Honor recipient MCPO Britt Slabinski (Ret.) and SgtMaj. Robin Fortner shared their stories with the audience.
The weekend concluded with a keynote dinner held inside the Notre Dame football stadium, where VADM William Houston delivered a speech. The midshipmen will carry the lessons learned with them throughout their future careers in the Navy and Marine Corps and look forward to attending NLW 2024 and continuing their lifelong study of leadership. As LtCol. Gibson said, “Leadership is a lifelong study.”
Yale Conference
Several Midshipmen of the Nittany Battalion were invited to attend Yale NROTC’s annual Global Leadership and Maritime Strategy Conference. All six branches of the armed forces and midshipmen from more than 40 institutions participated in the conference, which covered topics such as national defense policy, intelligence, and recent geopolitical developments.
Among the numerous professionals who contributed their knowledge on military policy, international security, and leadership were former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) ADM Michael Mullen (ret.) and Congressman Joe Courtney.
