Seven fall OHIO grads commission as officers in the United States Army

Seven fall Ohio University graduates have been commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Army. 

Austin Dick, from New Philadelphia, Ohio, graduated from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology with a degree in engineering technology and management and will serve with the Engineer branch with initial training occurring at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Gerron Elam, from Dayton, Ohio, graduated from the College of Business with a degree in management and strategic leadership and will serve with the U.S. Army’s Medical Service Corps based out of Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Andrew Lakocy, from Troy, Mich., graduated with a degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology and will serve with the Field Artillery branch of the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Okla. 

Will McClintock, from Lancaster, Pa., graduated from the College of Business with a degree in management and strategic leadership, and will serve with the Engineer branch of the U.S. Army Reserve Forces in Pennsylvania. 

Cody Ridge, from Delaware, Ohio, graduated from the Russ College of Engineering with a degree in computer science and will serve in the Ohio Army National Guard Signal Corps as a member of the 137th Signal Company from Newark, Ohio. 

Jack Smith, of Mentor, Ohio, graduated from University College with a specialized studies degree and will serve with the U.S. Army’s Transportation Corps based out of Fort Lee in Virginia. 

Ken Wallace, from Brunswick, Ohio, graduated with a degree in political science from the College of Arts and Sciences and will serve with the Engineer branch in the Ohio Army National Guard as a member of the 812th Engineer Company based in Lorain, Ohio. He will complete his Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

Dick, Lakocy, and Ridge were selected as distinguished military graduates, an honor earned by maintaining high grade-point averages, demonstrating strong performance in the Army Combat Fitness Test, and proving their worth as exceptional leaders in their college ROTC training. Lakocy ranked 66th out of 3,337 cadets selected for Active Duty across 275 Army ROTC detachments in the U.S. 

Maj. Darrell Fawley leads the Army ROTC program at Ohio University and commends the seven newly commissioned officers. 

“For Army ROTC cadets, commissioning is the commencement of their careers as Army officers in the service of our nation,” Fawley said. “These seven have persevered through unprecedented challenges in their last two years as cadets at OHIO. They have proven they are ready to be leaders and we are excited to see them move into leadership roles. Our Bobcats will lead the future.”

The Army ROTC Bobcat Battalion was established at OHIO in 1935 and prepares students to be active-duty officers in the United States Army. At Ohio University, ROTC programs are housed in University College. For more information about Army ROTC at OHIO, visit the Ohio University Army ROTC website.