Letter from the President

Greetings! We kicked off the semester’s events with Fall Orientation. It will be followed by the always-popular Welcome Back, at which we prepare jambalaya for The Corps and the Cadre. We always look forward to these events and work hard to ensure their success as we welcome the newest members of The Corps and the Cadre.

You should have received our Membership Renewal information recently. Your continued support of Cadets of the Ole War Skule is important. We cannot meet the challenges before us without your financial commitment. We do offer a life membership for those who might want to take advantage of that option. And, if you know of others who might be interested in joining with us, please encourage them to do so. Should they need membership information, let us know or direct them to the website, olewarskule.lsu.edu.

We continue to move at an active pace as we march toward the week of Nov. 8-13 – LSU Salutes. You will receive registration information in the next week. Please provide the requested information and return your form(s) as soon as possible. We look forward to having as many of you as possible join us for this special week of events and activities, especially the induction of our 2020 and 2021 Hall of Honor recipients. One of the most anticipated ceremonies – the Grand Opening Ceremony of the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum – has been moved to the Spring semester, Thursday, April 7, 2022. This change was made out of an abundance of caution related to the pandemic situation. Our Annual Meeting will take place on Friday afternoon, immediately following the Commandant’s Luncheon. The President’s Reception and Dinner will occur Friday evening.

We look forward to welcoming you and others back to campus for these and other activities. In addition, there will be a great football game as our Tigers host the Arkansas Razorbacks. Last, but not least, since our organization will be electing a new president to lead us for the next two years, I want to express my sincere appreciation to you, our members, and to my fellow members of the Board of Directors. It has been a pleasure to serve you, and I hope you will continue to support the new officers and board members as they lead us through upcoming programs and events. We have much work to do.

For the Long Purple Line...
Jake L. Netterville
President
Cadets of the Ole War Skule

From Your Strategic Planning Team

For over a year now, we have been working on an update of COWS’ strategic plan. The original plan called for a Cadet Corps of 700 cadets. Today we are at about 300. Our plan focuses on two priorities to achieve our goal of 700. The first is a new ROTC building. The current building is 60 years old, inefficient, out of date, and slated for demolition in LSU's Master Plan. We have been involved from the beginning to ensure an adequate replacement is part of LSU's future planning. Initial conceptual planning is under way but shared state funding will be necessary to actually construct a new building any time soon.

The second priority is the establishment of a Center for Leadership Development based on the Texas A&M model. The center would be located within the military complex but operated by a privately funded nonprofit center. The basic concept is to provide concentrated leadership training for cadets who do not wish to pursue a commission in our armed forces but find value in participating in the Cadet Corps supplemented by two years of class study in leadership, The combination better prepares our students for their careers. A student would participate in ROTC for their first two years, then study leadership while remaining in the Cadet Corps. This would increase interest in joining the Cadet Corps and likely help us achieve our goal of 700 in a short time frame. It will also provide students with leadership training not presently offered. Our research of military schools and Texas A&M proves employers have great interest in graduates with leadership training. This concept is currently on the desk for approval of the LSU president being considered for approval by the LSU president. If approved, it will be a major project of Cadets of the Ole War Skule.

Finally, we have secured the services of experienced military author Ron Drez, who is well into writing a military history of LSU. No such work exists, and his publication will surely assist us in our strategic-planning efforts.

W. Henson Moore, and MG Hunt Downer, Co-Chairs

LSU Salutes Registration Information

Be sure to check your incoming email in the next week for registration information for LSU Salutes – the military reunion of the LSU Corps of Cadets, veterans, those still serving on active duty, and other military personnel. The dates are Monday, Nov. 8 - Saturday, November 13. Since we were unable to host the event last year, the 2021 activities will certainly be special. The highlight of the week was to be the Grand Opening of the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum. Due to the challenges of the pandemic, that event has been moved to the Spring semester – Thursday, April 7, 2022. It will be an event you do not want to miss. Please remember to RSVP.

Other activities planned for LSU Salutes include the Annual Assembly at the LSU War Memorial, during which the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Honor honorees will be inducted; the Annual Meeting of Cadets of the Ole War Skule; and a special pregame ceremony before the LSU-Arkansas football game. Availability of our limited quantity of game tickets will be on a first-come, first-served basis for current members of Cadets of the Ole War Skule who are registered for and attending LSU Salutes. 

The activities and special events planned during LSU Salutes – The Military Reunion will be outlined on the Schedule of Events, which will be included in the registration information email you receive. We encourage you to join us for all of the activities. Please complete your registration form as soon as it arrives. If you wish to purchase football tickets, please remember to also include that form, as well.

3 Seniors Receive Arden O. French Award

During the spring BR Area ODK Alumni Reception, three top seniors were recognized as finalists for the Arden O. French Leadership Award which is presented to the Top LSU senior in a leadership role. On hand for the presentation were LTC Mike Duval, LSU Professor of Military Science; 2LT Christopher LaNeve (winner); 2Lt Delaney Dufrene (finalist); Colt Hardee (finalist); Lt Col Lisa O'Neil, LSU Professor of Aerospace Studies and Commandant; and Bridger Eglin, president of the BR Area ODK Alumni Chapter.

Architect Christin Meeker

Campbell & Associates Receives 2021 Rose Award

Congratulations to Jerry Campbell & Associates for receiving a 2021 Rose Award from the Baton Rouge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIABR) for the renovation of Memorial Tower, home to the new William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum.

The Rose Award recognizes and celebrates excellence in outstanding design and function.

Memorial Tower, home to Cadets of the Ole War Skule, is exemplary of the lasting impression the late Jerry Campbell and Neal Norton left on the architectural community. As we look to the future, we are proud to have Christin Meeker, of Fusion Architects, carry on their legacy.

Steven C. Fletcher

Greetings from the LSU Corps Commander

It is my pleasure to serve as the LSU Corps Commander for the upcoming academic year. I am a native of New Orleans and a graduate of Brother Martin High School. I am a senior in civil engineering and my career plan is to be a civil engineering officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Along with my staff, our plan for the year is to re-establish a sense of pride in serving in The Corps. In a military environment, developing a “spirit of competition” is one of the most important factors a leader can instill. Over the next year, we plan to bring back events, such as Corps Wars, that, in the past, have strengthened The Corps and created a sense of pride within each branch.

In addition, The Corps will continue to support many of the events and activities cohosted by LSU and Cadets of the Ole War Skule – such as LSU Salutes, President’s Day, the Joint Awards Ceremony, and LSU Memorial Day activities. We are especially excited to participate in and support the upcoming events surrounding the Grand Opening Ceremony of the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum.

We look forward to welcoming all veterans back to the campus for LSU Salutes and join with all attendees as two new classes are inducted into the Hall of Honor for Distinguished LSU Military alumni. 

I am grateful for this opportunity to serve The Corps and to work alongside our dedicated Cadets, Midshipmen, Cadre, and Cadets of the Ole War Skule.

For the Long Purple Line...
Steven C. Fletcher
LSU Corps Commander

Notes from Cadets

Cadets and MIDN share notes about their respective Army, Navy, and Air Force training experiences.

Air Force Cadet Austin Firmin, front row, fourth from left, writes: “This year, we were TDY at Camp Shelby, Miss., to allow cadets proper training while following the COVID prevention guidelines. Being that we were on an Army base, we primarily executed combat deployment scenarios from infiltrating and securing villages to locating and rescuing downed pilots.”

Summer cruise was a great opportunity to learn about what the fleet is facing as I get ready to commission,” writes Navy Midshipman Courtney Zohn, center.

Cadet Tomasi L. Wong, left and Cadet Khalil Hitt, guidion bearer, from Bowie State University in Bowie, Md.

“I learned a tremendous amount of lessons during my time at Cadet Summer Training and put my own leadership skills to the test. Above all the other lessons I could have learned, the most important was teamwork.

“Understanding that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link was the most powerful lesson of all and it strengthened the relations amongst my peers and myself. The skills that I developed and the friendships that were made will only further assist my competencies, decisions, and overall quality as a future officer within our nation’s Army. I could not be more grateful for this wonderful experience.”

Calendar of Events - 2021

Plan to take part in the following activities. COVID-19 guidelines regarding attendance numbers, masks, and social distancing will be observed.

Calendar of Events - 2022