Fall '04 Update

It’s an honor and privilege to serve as the Professor of Military Science at Marquette University. This is a great community in which to serve, with outstanding support coming from the faculty, administration, families, friends, and the Milwaukee community. I am very proud to be a part of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at Marquette University.

Let me take a minute to highlight what some of our cadets did this past summer. First, our Military Science III class had tremendous success at the Leadership Development Assessment Course (LDAC) at Fort Lewis, Wash. Our cadets excelled in all aspects of training and performed exceptionally well on physical fitness, land navigation and basic rifle marksmanship.

Second, many of our cadets participated in various training opportunities to include: airborne training, Cadet Troop Leadership Training, Northern Warfare School and Robin Sage. Without a doubt, every cadet who I’ve talked to about their experiences this summer told me how excited they were to participate in the additional training. The cadre and I are exploring ways to increase these types of unique training opportunities.
Third, we recently welcomed the Class of ’08 to campus with our Incoming Cadet Orientation. This event focused on the incoming freshman class of cadets at Marquette and gave us a chance to jump start their college experience by helping them move into student housing, introducing them to Army ROTC, and by challenging our new cadets with some physical training and team-building events.

The Golden Eagle Battalion has undergone some significant changes this summer with the departure of some very fine soldiers. Thankfully, their replacements are fine soldiers, too. Joining us are: Capt. (promotable) Mike Sierakowski , operations officer; Capt. Patricia Baker, recruitment and scholarship officer; Capt. Carl Meredith, assistant professor of military science; and Sgt. First Class Tuten, operations noncommissioned officer, who will join us in late September. All four of these soldiers are great Americans, and I know our cadets will benefit from their outstanding leadership and experience.

The cadre and I have several goals for this school year. Some of those goals include: continuing to build on our field and classroom training, improving and upgrading the battalion areas, attracting more students to Army ROTC from our partnership schools, and improving the content and information on our Web site. However, our most important goal is, and will always be, the dedication of this battalion to the skills training, leadership development, and mental preparation that is required of our cadets as they strive to earn a commission in the United States Army.


Clark R. Backus
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Professor of Military Science