Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Some of Syracuse University’s Air Force and Army ROTC cadets received several honorary designations and were among top-ranked cadets in the country. 

Eight Army cadets from SU’s ROTC program who participated in an advanced training camp during the summer were selected as distinguished military graduates, as they were assessed in the top 15% of all cadets nationwide, according to an SU News release. 

The cadets are Madeleine Gordon, Brian Bauer, Isabella Lee, Patrick Little, Jeffrey Estes, John Northrop, Lucas Marchi and Stanley Smudin. Gordon and Bauer were ranked among the top 10% of all active-duty cadets in the nation. 

Gordon, a double major in Arabic and Chinese with minors in linguistics and Middle Eastern studies, said in the release that her proficiency in different languages and cultures contributed to her success. 

“Cultural understanding and competencies are aspects of leadership I feel don’t immediately come to mind,” Gordon said in the release. “But (they) are absolutely critical in your ability to support not only your soldiers, but also the mission set as we continue to engage in a diverse theater of operations.”

Nine Army cadets earned the Reconnaissance Commando (Recondo) badge. The badge recognizes physical, intellectual and performance achievements. The cadets receiving the badge are Charles Ball, Michael Griffin, Patrick Little, Michael Lunny, Lucas Marchi, Alexander Morales, John Northrop, Hayden Smith (SUNY Oswego) and Ryan Snyder.

The Air Force assigns the cadets their military specialty based on such assessments and the preference submitted by the cadets in their junior year. This year, every Air Force cadet who submitted their applications was selected for rated positions in the U.S. Air Force. These cadets are Mackenzie Jorgensen, Si Yun (Sara) Lim, Alyssa Rote, Erin Beaudoin, Gerrit Vanvranken, Scott Potter, Jarod Okamura and Paul Dicorso.

Potter was selected as a pilot, while Okamura and Dicorso were selected to pilot drones. Potter said flying an aircraft has been his dream for “as long as (he) can remember.”

“This was one of the most competitive boards in a long time,” Potter said in the release. “So that’s the quality of cadet that we have at this detachment. Being around each other, we all make each other better just because everyone is such a high speed, high caliber person.”

Beaudoin, Rote and Vanvranken were selected as combat systems officers. These three cadets will participate in advanced training for technical application of their job as well as survival, evasion, resistance and escape training in Florida for approximately one year.

Published on October 28, 2021 at 1:06 am

Contact Francis: btang05@syr.edu | @francis_towne