All of Iowa State’s ROTC programs gathered in Lied Recreation Center for the for the Tri Service Chain of Command Ceremony, which was the first of its kind for the programs.

The Chain of Command Ceremony is when battalion leadership is passed onto a new cadet or midshipmen. In the past, each branch held their own separate ceremony to pass the chain of command, but it was decided that this year they would combine all the ceremonies into one.

“We wanted to showcase each of our programs to the university, and Veishea was a perfect time to do so. A cooperative, public event like this would display each ROTC branch’s history and dedication to Iowa State University, in addition to each of our overall missions to the United States Military,” said Cadet Zach Moran, senior in computer science.

The ceremony was Wednesday, April 18, 2013, at Lied Recreation Center and was open to the public.

The ROTC members that had the battalion chain of command passed to them were Army Cadet Zachary Graham, Navy Midshipman William Honeyman and Air Force Cadet Edward Ehlert.

Capt. Ricks Polk, professor and chair of naval science, spoke to all of the ISU ROTC members and their friends and family in attendance. He said their presence at the ceremony was greatly appreciated.

“We appreciate your attendance, and we hope that this event will serve and highlight the many wonderful things that occur on this campus day in and day out. Your presence makes this event even more meaningful for us,” Polk said.

Normally, each ceremony is held privately, but this year, leaders wanted to give the cadets and midshipmen the chance to show everyone how well they can represent the country and Iowa State.

“We have chosen to combine this event today to showcase the excellent work and precision of these cadets and midshipmen, as representative sites of this university and its exceptional heritage,” Polk said. “These future officers leave Iowa State with completing degrees in a variety of disciplines and going on to serve The Army, Navy Air Force or Marine Corps.”

This event was a rare occurrence in which all of the ROTC participated in an event together. With the branches’ very different schedules, they rarely get to work together.

“This was one of the first years in my college career that we’ve conducted Tri-Service events, having conducted a joint PT workout earlier this year. With a unified Change of Command ceremony, we had the opportunity to recognize all of our hard work and achievements that make the [ISU] ROTC units some of the best in the country,” Moran said.