Air Force ROTC unit at UNLV ‘tips off’ first year

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 8:44 a.m.

The members of UNLV'S newest ROTC unit, Air Force ROTC Detachment 004, convened for the first time as a group on Monday AT an Air Force ROTC Tip-Off event.

Several parents of the 41 cadets making up the new unit were also in attendance.

Las Vegas area high schools have contributed more than half of the cadets signing up for the local cadet component of the new detachment's first recruiting class.

The group includes four Durango High School graduates, and three graduates each from Rancho, Mojave and Palo Verde high schools. Coronado, Western, Centennial and El Dorado have all contributed two cadets, while Green Valley, Clark and Foothill each contributed one cadet.

The new detachment is representative of seven academic majors at UNLV including Engineering, Criminal Justice, Education, Political Science, Nursing, biology and Communications.

As Air Force ROTC cadets these UNLV students will now also complete an ROTC curriculum that includes the profession of arms, communication, leadership, military studies and international security.

According to Capt. Jason Rossi, the unit admissions officer, those cadets who successfully complete lower division ROTC classes, as well as their other UNLV studies, will contract with the Air Force in their junior year for jobs as pilots, navigators, air battle managers and a variety of support officer career fields.

According to Col. Robert Hogan, the detachment commander and professor of aerospace studies, the unit expects to commission its first group of cadets as Air Force second lieutenants in those fields in 2007.

This initial group of UNLV Air Force ROTC cadets is made up of 30 men and 11 women.

Photog honored

Air Force Master Sgt. Thomas Cook, the son of Gerard Cook of Las Vegas, has been decorated with the Air Force Commendation Medal. He was honored for meritorious service as a photographer, assigned to the 4th Combat Camera Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, Moreno Valley, Calif. The master sergeant has served in the military for 20 years.

In brief

*Seaman Recruit Sisouphanh Inthavong, Green Valley High School class of 2002 and son of Boulaphanh and Khamphanh Inthavong of Henderson, completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.