History saw a new high set for the UH Air Force ROTC on Tuesday during the celebration of both the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force and the creation of the Houston Corps of Cadets during a luncheon at the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Albert Chapman called the new corps a significant moment and the beginning of "a new era of ROTC."
Col. Phil Bossert, the commander for the UH Air Force ROTC, was the guest speaker for the luncheon and said that he was pleased with the formation of the corps. He said the corps has many benefits to offer, including a research conference with the Department of Defense.
"One of the big benefits of Houston Corps of Cadets is that we’re co-hosting annual research conferences, and that’s a big deal," he said.
Bossert said he hopes the Houston Corps of Cadets will attract more students in Houston and hopefully keep them within city limits. The corps will also work closely with the JROTC high school programs in the Houston area.
The Houston Corps of Cadets is composed of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine ROTC cadets from Houston area schools such as Rice University, University of St. Thomas, Texas Southern University and other community colleges.
Houston commanders Bossert, Army Lt. Col. Tony Landry and Navy Capt. Dave Murray began developing the idea for the joint corps last year.
On June 1 of this year, the Houston corps received final approval from all detachment commanders.
The Houston corps wants to establish a private endowment fund to help its students pay for college through scholarships.
Eight scholarship recipients from UH, Rice, TSU, UH-Downtown and St. Thomas attended the luncheon and received a total of $478,000.
One recipient was UHD chemistry freshman Stephanie Vaughan.
Vaughan chose to be a cadet in the Air Force ROTC because it shares her goals.
"The Air Force has a lot of focus on education, and that is a big plus," she said.
Well-known corps include Texas A’M University’s Corps of Cadets and the Cadets of the Ole War Skule at Louisiana State University.
Overnight, the Houston corps surpassed the number of cadets at LSU, but not Texas A’M.
"We rival in size, (not) competition," Chapman said.
He predicts that in 2012 the Houston Corps will be as big as Texas A’M’s Corps of Cadets, which according to its Web site has approximately 1,800 participants.
As far as Bossert knows, the Houston Corps of Cadets is the first corps to be named after a major city.
Developments for the corps include a Web site, joint patch, motto and a building on campus that would house it.
Air Force ROTC Cadet Col. Elias Yousefi helped plan the event for two months and gave opening remarks at the luncheon, which he considered a success.
"(The luncheon) exceeded expectation and had the right atmosphere. We celebrated and had fun," he said.
Representatives for Mayor Bill White, Houston City Council Member Ada Edwards and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, were in attendance.
At the end of the event, a ribbon was cut and the corps was officially formed in what will hopefully be an era of continued excellence, Yousefi said.
"We’ll just keep doing business, keep pressing on," he said.
