The Shield and Sword Newsletter - Online • December 2016

Top photo: LSU Salutes 2016 Hall of honor inductees included, front row, from left, Katherine King, representing her late father, Hiram J. Wright; Genny L. May; John S. White, Jr.; Rita Belle Attaya Taft, representing her late brother, LTC Henry Elliott Attaya, Jr.; Col Gordon Louis Jenkins; and Vada Cann Montgomery, co-representing her late father, LTC William Derwood Cann, Jr.; back row, Dr. James Anderson, representing his ninety-seven-year-old father, LTC Walter Patterson Anderson who was unable to attend; Dr. Thomas Nash, co-representing his late father, LTC William Derwood Cann, Jr.; Anthony Muller, representing his late uncle, LT Layne Joseph Romagosa; George H. Fuller, Jr., representing his late father, CDR George H. Fuller; CDR William J. Butterworth, Jr.; Laura Leach, chair of the LSU Military Excellence Commission; Richard Lipsey, immediate past president of Cadets of the Ole War Skule; and John W. Milazzo, Jr., president of Cadets of the Ole War Skule.
Left: Among those attending the President’s Reception and Dinner were Richard Lipsey, far right, immediate past president of Cadets of the Ole War Skule; his wife, Susan Lipsey; and Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Right: Welcoming Gov. John Bel Edwards, far right, to the President’s Reception and Dinner were, from left, Norman Deumite, past president of Cadets of the Ole War Skule, John W. Milazzo, Jr., current president; and LSU President F. King Alexander.

LSU Salutes 2016
University Inducts 10 into Military Hall of Honor

LSU and Cadets of the Ole War Skule paid tribute to former ROTC cadets and the men and women who have served in America's armed forces and inducted ten individuals into the Military Hall of Honor during the twenty-fist annual LSU Salutes in November.

The two-day event included the President’s Reception and dinner, at which Gov. John Bel Edwards was the keynote speaker; tours of campus attractions and military memorials; the Commandant’s Luncheon featuring LSU’s new Commandant of Cadets, Lt. Col. Lawrence House; keynote speaker MG Les Carroll; and pre-game introduction of the honorees in Tiger Stadium and a halftime extravaganza at the LSU vs. Alabama game.

Nominations for the 2017 Hall of Honor are due June 1, 2017. For additional information or to nominate an LSU alum to be considered for this honor, visit olewarskule.lsu.edu

See event photos here.

New LSU Corps Commander

MIDN Christopher Dedo, an industrial engineering senior from Lafayette, La., is the new LSU Corps Commander in Spring 2017. He has served the Naval ROTC program in several leadership roles, including Battalion Commander in Fall 2016, and is currently one of fifteen seniors participating in the Ole War Skule Senior Symposium, a program to assist Cadets and Midshipmen as they transition to becoming Junior Officers upon commissioning in May 2017. In addition to his military leadership involvement, MIDN Dedo serves as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity at LSU as well as treasurer of the Institute of Industrial Engineering. Congratulations, MIDN Christopher Dedo, LSU Corps Commander!

The Ole War Skule Senior Symposium

The fifteen Cadets and Midshipmen participating in the Ole War Skule Senior Symposium experienced some thought-provoking sessions during the fall semester, including Military Justice & Ethics, Social Media Footprint & the Internet, Responding to Injuries: Both Physical & Emotional, and Foreign Culture Awareness. Spring 2017 topics include What You Know vs. Who You Know, Working Effectively with All Service Branches, Defense & National Security Strategy, and Gender Integration & Transgender Issues.

The selection process for the Class of 2018 will begin early in the spring semester. The inaugural program has been very well received, and seems to be growing in popularity.

LSU Salutes 2016
Board Members Elected

Nine individuals were elected to Cadets of the Ole War Skule Board of Directors at the 2016 Annual Meeting on November 5.

John W. Milazzo, Jr. and CAPT Franklin Foil were re-elected as president and vice-president, respectively, for two-year terms, and COL Cindy Haygood was elected to a three-year term as secretary-treasurer. Richard Lipsey and Harry J. “Skip” Philips will serve two-year terms; COL John Dunlap and MG Glenn Curtis, three-year terms; and RADM Robert Ryland Percy III and Norman J. Deumite, one year-terms.

In The Mail

December 7, 1941

On that Sunday, I was a junior student at LSU enjoying the Deke House. Caught the bus to town to the motion picture show, a western. In the middle of the story, lights went out; a newsboy rushed in shouting “Extra, Extra, Pearl Harbor Bombed.” Back to the bus and the fraternity house, joined the others at the radio and news reels. Never, never a calm moment after that until the bombing in Japan. We do pause to remember those who made the sacrifice.
Midterm February 1942 – new students had enrolled and been invited to the frat house, one of whom was a Phi Mu pledge, Betty Bolen. By March 1943 we were married, and I was off to military service: May and June with the LSU Infantry ROTC unit, then to Fort Benning, Georgia. We are still married, thank you.

Robert ”Bob” Peiser
Harlingen, Texas

Greetings from the President

As you are reading this issue of our newsletter, we are happy to report that, following the Commissioning Ceremony on Dec. 15, we welcomed three new second lieutenants into the U.S. Army. We wish them well in their new experiences as young officers. The ceremony was a fitting close to what has been an extremely busy semester for all of us connected to or involved with our military programs and The Corps. This issue provides a brief overview of the many events and activities occurring during LSU Salutes on Nov. 3-5. It was a wonderful weekend – except for the outcome of the football game – and our honorees and their family members seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

You will soon be hearing about the progress being made through the work of those involved with the LSU Military Excellence Commission. In the near future, I will be coming to you with a more personal appeal for you and your family to consider as we seek to involve more of our alumni and friends in this important effort. I am confident that you will want to be involved.

This time of year is very special to many of us. While we have all faced and some may continue to face particular challenges and difficult circumstances, we are also reminded that, as a nation, we are a blessed people and we have many things for which we can be grateful. So, to you and your family, the leadership of Cadets of the Ole War Skule extends special wishes for the season – Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas. We hope 2017 will be an exciting and fulfilling year for all of us.

For the Long Purple Line . . .
John W. Milazzo, Jr.
President

Mark Your Calendar

Spring 2017

Fall 2017