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Military Commissioning

General Petraeus Inducts ROTC Graduates

General Petraeus giving the oath of office to the 12 MIT ROTC candidates Gen. David Petraeus administering the oath of office to the 12 MIT ROTC officer candidates. Photo: Darren McCollester.

The commander of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, beamed proudly at the 12 MIT ROTC officer candidates, hands raised, waiting to take their oath of office at the joint commissioning service June 5. His smile was natural since his son, Stephen, was among the 2009 graduates, and his comments about leadership embraced the larger audience, reflecting his values and those of MIT.

Petraeus, who holds a PhD in international studies from Princeton, shared seven keys to successful leadership with the new officers about to assume active duty. "Your attitude will echo and reecho throughout your troop," he said, so be positive. Listen to your troops, build your team, be ready to make decisions, and lead from the front. Keep your troops informed, he urged the new officers, "The army of one wants to know what you want them to do and why." At the seventh tip, he hesitated. "I was going to say learn how to sleep in any circumstances, but at MIT, you learned that long ago."

Class of '09 Grads Head for Duty
MIT, one of the few private universities to host ROTC for all service branches, held the commissioning ceremony for these members of the Class of 2009:

Air Force officers Paul Estrada, whose next post is battle manager; Rachel Kolesnikov-Lindsey, who will remain at MIT to earn a master's degree; Eric Lanser, developmental engineer; and Erik Greenberg, analyst.

Army officers Vikram Mittal, who will report for duty as a vertical engineer; Stephen Petraeus, infantry officer; and Gregory Wellman, pilot.

Naval officers Vanessa Esch, who will work as a surface warfare officer; Matthew Petersen, pilot; Juliana Rotter, surface warfare officer; Thomas Schaefer, submarines; and Marine officer Stephen Toth, Marine ground.

President Susan Hockfield noted that MIT's service to the nation has included preparing students for military service since 1865. "More than 12,000 officers have been commissioned from MIT," Hockfield said. "And 150 have attained the rank of general or admiral-so the tradition we celebrate is very much one of service through leadership.

"Even with this great history and present, it is through ROTC that we make perhaps our most important contribution-the preparation of officers-officers who bring to the armed forces all the discipline, integrity, intellectual rigor, and fearless skill in problem solving that are the signature of MIT," she said.

A new affinity group, the MIT Military Alumni/ae Association (MITMAA), presented a cake at the commissioning event at the U.S. Coast Guard district headquarters overlooking Boston Harbor to celebrate the new officers' graduation and the group's founding.

Larry Castro '64, SM '68, an MITAA board member and civilian executive at the National Security Agency, says MITMAA aims to connect alumni to MIT ROTC groups and to build fellowship among alumni with experience or interest in the military. Alumni are invited to learn more about the MITMAA and its events and mentoring program and to join this affinity group.

Cake 

By Nancy DuVergne Smith

Published June 11, 2009