PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 905, which draws cadets from WSU, the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College, was recently recognized as the number one large detachment in the U.S. Northwest region with the 2013 Air Force “Right of Line” award.
The detachment will advance into consideration in the large unit category for the national AFROTC Right of Line award, given each year to the best college or university AFROTC unit in the country.
Col. Gregory M. Cain, commander of Detachment 905 and professor of aerospace studies at WSU, said the honor distinguishes the WSU detachment as the “best of the best” during the past year within a geographical area that spans the northwestern quadrant of the continental U.S. and includes 34 other large-sized college and university AFROTC units.
The award, which draws its name from a military phrase referring to the parade line position occupied by the most elite unit in the formation, is given annually to the AFROTC detachment deemed the best in its class, based on university activities, community participation, military preparedness and success in meeting AFROTC academic, fitness and recruiting and retention goals.Cain, who assumed command of the detachment in 2011, credited the award largely to the academic performance and community involvement of the Detachment 905 cadets, as well as the dedication and leadership of his staff of three Air Force officers and two non-commissioned officers, each of whom has been individually recognized recently as recipients of other highly respected Air Force commendations and awards.
The detachment graduated 19 cadets in the past year, he said, all of whom earned degrees in engineering, technical disciplines or other fields the Air Force considers vital to the continued fulfillment of its mission. The mean grade point average of the full detachment was 3.18 for the past year, he said, adding that more than 25 percent of the detachment made either the Dean’s List or the President’s Honor Roll during the year.
Hosted at WSU Pullman, AFROTC Detachment 905 has established agreements with both the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. The unit is training approximately 163 officer candidates who will join the Air Force as second lieutenants upon graduation.