Proudly Serving Our Nation: May culminates with Memorial Day commemoration and graduations

Frank Lennon
·4 min read

May is a big month for the military and veteran community, featuring ROTC and service academy graduations, commissioning ceremonies and award presentations — all culminating with the commemoration of our nation’s war dead on Memorial Day. The photos accompanying this article depict some of those activities.

Let’s jump right in.

Providence College Patriot Battalion commissions 15

In May, the Army welcomed 15 new officers; eight from Providence College, four from Brown University, two from Bryant University, and one from Johnson & Wales University.

Distinguished Military Graduate awards recognize exceptional aptitude for military service, ranking in the top 20% of all cadets nationwide. Hank Hultman and Gerilyn Maselli from Brown joined William Murray and Braiden Wills from Providence College as recipients of this award.

New Army officers commissioned from the Providence College Patriot Battalion: Front row, from left: 2nd Lieutenants Amanda Guerriero, Nicholas Brancato, Domenic Bettinelli, Liam Minnick, Carson Morrison, Rachel Huynh, Sabrina DeAlmeida and Ryne Passauer. Back row, from left: 2nd Lieutenants Braeden Weston, Gerilyn Maselli, Sean Harris, Samuel Mason, Charles Hultman, William Murray and Braiden Wills.

Hope for America's future: Highlighting RI's ROTC stars during graduation season

Department of the Army Superior Cadet Award is another national designation given to one student in each of the four years of the program. Each recipient ranks in the top 25% academically and top 10% in military science. Eddie Torres received the award for the MS I (freshman) class, while Lily Starrs earned the designation as a sophomore. Genesis Aldana and Ryne Passauer represented the junior and senior classes, respectively.

Passauer also received the Providence College President’s Trophy.

Military Sabres are sponsored by each participating college. Carson Morrison earned the award for Bryant; Gerilyn Maselli for Brown; and Sabrina DeAlmeida for Johnson & Wales. William Murray earned the Providence College Sabre.

Some 25 veteran, military and community organizations also sponsored awards. Recipients included Leo Pacher, Rachel Huynh, Ellison Mucharsky, Colin Fulmer, Sean Harris. Grace Chong, Luke Tischio, Julia Rendon, Richard Shin, Jack McNicholas, Alec Coleman, John Fullerton, Nick Brancato, Sam Hogan, Liam Minnick, Carston Maher, Greyson Heinzer, Katelin Ferreira, Sam Mason, Liam Doherty, John Tracy, Peter Monaco, Connor Dudka, Domenic Bettinelli, Braeden Weston, and Amanda Guerriero.

A contingent from RI Chapter 48 of the Special Forces Association conducts a memorial ceremony in front of the Special Forces Memorial at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery.
A contingent from RI Chapter 48 of the Special Forces Association conducts a memorial ceremony in front of the Special Forces Memorial at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery.

Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative graduates 10

On May 25, Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative held a virtual commencement ceremony, celebrating the graduation of this year’s class of scholar-veterans.  After a congratulatory video from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the graduates shared what they most valued about their experience.

"It is through the humanities, history, art and philosophy, that we have learned to both listen and hear one another," U.S. Army vet Dianna Adams said.

The PCVI is accepting applicants for this free humanities course, which will start up again in September and is open to all vets, regardless of discharge status, education, rank, age or deployment.

Veterans for Peace vessel to visit Providence this weekend

The Veterans for Peace sailboat Golden Rule is shown by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The 30-foot ketch has sailed many miles in support of a mission to seek peaceful, effective alternatives to war — especially nuclear war. The ketch will be at Providence’s India Point Park on June 11 and 12.
The Veterans for Peace sailboat Golden Rule is shown by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The 30-foot ketch has sailed many miles in support of a mission to seek peaceful, effective alternatives to war — especially nuclear war. The ketch will be at Providence’s India Point Park on June 11 and 12.

Since 2015, the 30-foot ketch Golden Rule has been sailing to ports around the country, spreading its message of hope for a nuclear-free world and a peaceful, sustainable future. It will arrive at India Point Park about midday on Sunday, June 11, where state and local representatives will welcome the ship to Rhode Island. A concert is planned at the park for 6 p.m.

Visitors are invited to join the crew for breakfast at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, June 12, and the ketch will be open for tours for the rest of the day. Displays and exhibits will explain and promote the organization’s message supporting a nuclear-free world. The Quaker Meeting House, 99 Morris Ave., will host a dinner at 5:30 p.m. with a talk and film to follow. After a blessing of the boat on Tuesday morning, the Golden Rule will depart at 8 a.m.

This stop in Providence is part of a 15-month, 11,000-mile journey that began in Minneapolis last September. The Golden Rule sailed down the Mississippi River, across the Gulf Coast, around Florida and up the East Coast.

The sailboat was built in the 1950s, and it famously sailed across the Pacific to protest nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands in 1958. After falling out of sight for decades, the Golden Rule was discovered at the bottom of Humboldt Bay in California in 2009. Veterans for Peace, founded in 1985, joined with local Quakers to prevent its destruction.

It was slowly restored and relaunched in 2015. From 2015 to 2022, she sailed the West Coast from British Columbia to San Diego and crossed to Hawaii as well.

Members of Veterans for Peace originally consisted of military veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In recent years, veterans of the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan have participated, as well as peacetime veterans and non-veterans. The group works to promote alternatives to war. They call the Golden Rule “the first peace vessel.”

For a full itinerary and details, email GoldenRuleProvidence2023@gmail.com, or visit the website at vfpgoldenruleproject.org

Announcements

Veteran Golf Group

Starting Thursday, June 15, at noon (and every Thursday thereafter) the Providence Vet Center will host golf at Button Hole’s 9-hole par-3 course in Providence. Participation is free, and gear can be provided upon request. Clinician Nate Monteiro will lead this group (Vet Center Eligibility Required). For details, reach out to Justyn Charon (401) 739-0167 or Justyn.Charon@va.gov.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: ROTC in RI: Showcasing RI's finest during graduation