UNCP Army ROTC wins prestigious MacArthur Award

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Army ROTC

For the second consecutive year, UNC Pembroke’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program has been recognized as one of the top ROTC programs in the nation.

UNCP’s program has been awarded the prestigious MacArthur Award. It was one of eight schools selected from among the 275 senior Army ROTC units nationwide, according to the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

“It is a tremendous honor as a battalion to receive this award for the second year in a row,” said Capt. Christopher Wieczorek, assistant professor of Military Science at UNCP.

“This shows the dedication our students are bringing to the program as well as the tremendous support we receive from our university for our program.

“This is just another example which shows our program is doing the right things to produce quality second lieutenants to the U.S. Army.”

The awards, presented by Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation, recognize the ideals of "duty, honor and country" as advocated by MacArthur.

The award is based on a combination of the achievement of the school's commissioning mission, its cadets' performance and standing on the command's National Order of Merit List and its cadet retention rate.



Cadet Command and the MacArthur Foundation have given the awards each year since 1989.

UNCP’s Army ROTC Department has been in existence since 1994 when UNCP signed a cross enrolled agreement with Campbell University. The Brave Company, which consists of 57 cadets, is fully integrated with the Campbell Battalion for administration, leadership positions, field training exercises and accessions.

UNCP commissioned eight officers in 2017 and will commission eight additional officers in 2018.