Alumna Returns

By Staff Sgt. Starla LewisMay 8, 2023

IU Arches
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace Indiana University campus tour took her through IU’s arches that she remembered walking through as a student, and now a Commanding General in the United States Army Reserve. Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University, as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Starla Lewis) VIEW ORIGINAL
Golden Book
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Senior cadets showed Brig. Gen. Wallace the Golden Book which holds the names of thousands of IU men and women who served in the United States Military. Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University, as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Starla Lewis) VIEW ORIGINAL
Community Relations
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – During the campus tour, Brig. Gen. Wallace had the opportunity to speak with the Dean of the School of Arts and Science and other faculty members of Indiana University. Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University, as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Starla Lewis) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest Speaker
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen Patricia Wallace spoke to the Indiana University ROTC cadets about taking every opportunity they are presented and turning it into a positive one. Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University, as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Starla Lewis) VIEW ORIGINAL
Cadets Headed to Camp
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Wallace took a moment to motivate cadets headed to Basic Camp, a 32-day training designed to introduce cadets to the Army. Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University, as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Starla Lewis) VIEW ORIGINAL
Bison Award
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace received the Bison award for the positive attention she brings to the IU ROTC program, and to show their appreciation for her being their guest speaker. Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University, as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Starla Lewis) VIEW ORIGINAL

BLOOMINGTON, In – Brig. Gen. Patricia Wallace, Commanding General of the 80th Training Command The Army School System (TASS), was invited to return to her alma mater Indiana University (IU), as the guest speaker for the ROTC awards ceremony.

Wallace graduated from IU in 1990 and commissioned into the United States Army Reserve. She feels like her time at IU shaped her career today, both on the military and civilian side. Brig. Gen. Wallace was accompanied on the tour by another IU alumni Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel MacKenzie, Command Sgt. Maj. of the 83rd United States Army Reserve Readiness Training Command.

As they were given a tour of the campus by three senior ROTC cadets, that will be enlisting into the Active Component, the National Guard, and the Reserve component, Brig. Gen. Wallace was able to reflect on her campus experiences and see the changes they’ve made since her graduation day.

In addition to a tour of the campus, Wallace and MacKenzie had the opportunity to meet with the Dean of the School of Arts and Science and other IU faculty members.

At the awards ceremony, Brig. Gen. Wallace spoke to the cadets about the challenges the military is facing with retention and recruiting. Wallace believes that if they tell their stories, it will encourage more people to join our family by becoming service members.

During Brig. Gen. Wallace journey to become an officer, she discovered that she would commission into the Adjutant General branch. Though that wasn’t the branch she saw for herself, she told the cadets that she took advantage of the opportunity she was given, and it brought her success in her civilian and military careers.

Brig. Gen. Wallace charged the cadets to not take opportunities they are given at face value, but to take advantage of every opportunity and make it into a positive experience that helps them grow in their careers and in life.

The day ended with a dinner where Brig. Gen. Wallace was able to have one-on-one time with cadets that decided to commission into the Army Reserve, some already enlisted into the Reserve. The cadets were able to ask Brig. Gen. Wallace about choices she made that led to her success. She was able to tell them more about how professional development and growth will provide them with many great opportunities.