NGCSU ROTC battalion named tops in U.S.

DAHLONEGA - North Georgia College & State University's Corps of Cadets has been named the top Army ROTC battalion in the nation by Cadet Command and the MacArthur Foundation.

North Georgia was among eight Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs honored Feb. 2 during the annual U.S. Army Cadet Command Winter Commander's Conference. The awards recognize unit performance based on the ideals of the late Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

This year's winners were: North Georgia College & State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of North Dakota, Campbell University, Cameron University, Georgia Southern University, University of Cincinnati and Santa Clara University.

North Georgia previously received the MacArthur Award in 1991 and 1995.
Cadet Command, the parent organization of Army ROTC, in conjunction with the Norfolk, Va.-based General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, has presented the awards each year since 1989.

"The awards recognize the individual units within the Army ROTC program that have achieved the standards that best represent the ideals of the watch words of 'duty, honor, country' as practiced by General MacArthur," said retired Marine Corps Col. William J. Davis, the foundation's executive director.

Cadet Command's commanding general, Maj. Gen. Arthur M. Bartell, thanked Davis and the foundation for supporting Army ROTC over the years with the awards and for keeping MacArthur's legacy alive.

"It means a lot to the schools to receive this award, and it is the pinnacle for the brigade leadership represented here today," Bartell said. "Again, on behalf of the 35,000 cadets within the command, I want to thank you for your continuing support of the Army ROTC program."

The Army ROTC battalions selected for the awards were the most successful of the command's 273 units in accomplishing the mission of training and commissioning the majority of the lieutenants entering the Army each year.

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