Courtney Barrett wants to lead Soldiers and be a good example. Tray Robinson wants to provide sustainment from within the Army ranks.
They were among the soon-to-be-commissioned ROTC cadets who received ceremonial gold bars at a luncheon April 30 at The Summit. The Huntsville Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America held its annual gold bar ceremony for the cadets who will become second lieutenants this week.
The commissioning ceremony is May 8 at 1 p.m. in the Clyde Foster Auditorium on the campus of Alabama A&M University. Nine cadets are receiving their commissions from the Alabama A&M ROTC program, including three from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
“I want to serve my country and pave a way for my family because they’re all immigrants,” Barrett, 22, from West Palm Beach, Florida, said. The Alabama A&M student is the youngest of two children of parents from St. Anne, Jamaica; he has a sister.
“I want to be influential,” Barrett, entering the signal corps and planning to serve 20 years, said. “I want to be able to lead Soldiers in all aspects, be approachable. Develop and mentor – eventually. And just be a good example.”
Robinson, 25, from Frisco City which is in Monroe County, is commissioning in the military police in the Army National Guard. The Alabama A&M student works as a logistics management specialist at the Aviation and Missile Command’s Security Assistance Management Directorate. He started at AMCOM in 2022 during his senior year as an undergraduate. On May 9, Robinson will receive his Master of Business Administration from Alabama A&M.
“We (at AMCOM) provide sustainment to Soldiers, and so working alongside them that’s what really convinced me” to join the Army, Robinson said. “I plan to do my 20 (years) because I want to double my time within my federal career.”
The cadets received advice from the gold bar luncheon speaker, retired Maj. Gen. Vincent “Vinny” Boles, who retired in 2009 after 33 years of service, including four tours. Boles, 70, served as the 33rd chief of ordnance and commandant of the Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He told the cadets there are 12,000 second lieutenants in the Army, including active duty, Reserve and National Guard.
“Trust yourselves, trust your instincts. You’ll be all right,” Boles said. “You are a role model. When your Soldiers do not know what to do, they will turn to you. They will take their cues from you. They will believe what they see you do.
“The goal’s not to do your best; the goal is to make sure your best gets better every day,” he said.
The Huntsville Chapter of Military Officers of America has about 250 members, according to retired Navy Capt. Rick West, president. The gold bar luncheon had 45 attendees.
Alabama A&M University’s ROTC program has 184 cadets including students from Alabama A&M, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Athens State University. Next year it adds the University of North Alabama. This is the 53rd year; and the program has commissioned 1,027 second lieutenants in the Army so far.
Lt. Col. Early Howard Jr., the professor of military science, received his commission at Alabama A&M in 2003. Howard, 44, from Montgomery, will retire in December with 24 years of service.
“So, I get to end my career where it started,” he said. “It’s been a ride. It’s been good days, there’s been bad. But the good outweighed the bad. And I have truly enjoyed my Army journey.”
The commissioning ROTC cadets include Tray Robinson, Justin Arrington, Courtney Barrett, Anthony Bolden, Emily Brown and Mia Perry, from Alabama A&M; and Stephen O’Neil, Daniel Navarro and Ethan Oliver, from UAH.
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