The Regiment assembled on Tuesday night in the Gymnasium to recognize exceptional achievements. Cadet Colonel Benjamin Heni '14 addressed the Regiment and commended all of the Cadets for retaining their Gold Star as an Honor Unit with Distinction, the highest possible rating, after last month’s Army Formal Inspection. Then General Albert presented awards to three distinguished Cadets on behalf of the Statue of Liberty Chapter of the Army’s Veterans Association in Greater New York: Joseph Galvano '14, Gianluca Casapietra '14, and Paul Piekarz '14.

Mrs Evelyn Carmichael P'13'14, a member of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and a Xavier parent, then presented DAR awards to three distinguished Cadets: Frank Melonik '14, Andrew Scalice '14, and James Lavelle '14.

Several Cadets were recognized for their appointments to our Nation’s Service Academies by representatives from West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy: Patrick Walsh '14, Daniel Roman '13, Benjamin Heni '14, Joseph Kim '14, Eamonn Gavigan '14, and Tyler Cabrera '14. Xavier will have 16 Cadets at West Point, 4 Midshipman at Annapolis, and 1 Cadet at Air Force this fall. Additionally, 10 Xavier Seniors were recognized for their Senior ROTC appointments to a variety of colleges and universities.

Finally, freshman Cadets were promoted to Sergeant, the highest possible rank during Freshman Year, and each of the newly minted Sergeants greeted General Albert on the stage. For many of the freshmen, this may have been the only time in their lives that they ever meet an Army General.

Cadets recited the Cadet Creed with great gusto, and afterwards parents and guests retired to Hurtado Hall for a light reception. Parents and guests were uniformly positive in their assessment of the evening’s events!

- LTC Roy Campell, USA (Ret.)
Senior Army Instructor