Air Force ROTC programs receive donation from Troy SGA

The Air Force and Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs recently received a $5,000 from the Troy University Student Government Association (SGA) after its Giving Day 2024 event. 

In an online announcement SGA President Betsy Bennett said that the association began raising money in 2021 for troops overseas by selling t-shirts and challenge coins. The SGA decided to donate funds following the retirement of  Director of Student Involvement Barbara Patterson earlier in 2024. 

“We decided that since that money was originally raised for troops overseas, we thought what better way for the Student Government Association to give back to those future Army and Air Force leaders and the military?” she said.

Lt. Col. Kedem “Splinter” Alon, Commander of Detachment 017 and Professor of aerospace studies, reportedly stated that the Air Force ROTC will use the funds to support “warrior-focused training” efforts.

“We’re trying to reform the lag we had in some of our efforts as far as fulfilling our mission of producing Officers of character. We expect to fight and win our nation’s wars, and that involves really getting to that warrior side of things,” he said. “We want to get them into programs to get them excited about the Air Force, while also getting them real experience with operations around the Air Force as well.”

Captain Jeffrey Gregory, Chair of the Army ROTC program, Mustang Battalion, and Assistant Professor of military studies, stated in the announcement that the funds will be used for trips, transportation and resources for training events.

“Annually, our cadets go to summer training at Fort Knox, so we will move them around from Fort Novosel and also Fort Benning,” he said. “They’ll participate in other required necessities for their education so they can be prepared to pass the cadet summer training event, which will give them leadership program expertise and also tactical training to make sure they’re capable of being Army leaders in the future.”