Army ROTC Facts at a Glance

  • Army ROTC remains the boradest path for young men and women seeking to serve the nation as officers in the Army to achieve their goal.
  • Army ROTC is the college elective that teaches the decision-making, management skills, leadership, and discipline that will enhance the student's future success in either a military or a civilian career.
  • The majority of officers serving in today's Army got their start through the Army ROTC program.
  • Since it was formally organized in 1916, more than a half million men and women have become Army officers through the Army ROTC program.
  • More than half of the General Officers in the Active Component of the Army got their start through the ROTC program.
  • Prominent graduates of the Army ROTC program include:
    • Colin Powell - Former U.S. Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
    • Samuel Alito - Supreme Court Justice
    • Sam Walton - Founder of Wal-Mart
    • Lenny Wilkens - Basketball great
    • Earl Graves - Chairman and Publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine
    • Nancy Sherlock Currie - Space Shuttle astronaut
    • Lou Holtz - Legendary football coach
    • Peter Schoomaker - Recently retired Chief of Staff of the Army
    • Robert Novak - Syndicated newspaper columnist and CNN panelist
    • George W. Casey, Jr. - Chief of Staff of the Army
    • Hugh Shelton - Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
    • George C. Marshall - WWII Chief of Staff and architect of the Marshall Plan