In-State Tuition for All ROTC Students

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Out of state residency? Not if you are in ROTC! Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signs a bill to give In-State Tuition status to anyone enrolled as an active ROTC cadet.

 

Oklahoma Military Appreciation legislation now authorizes in-state tuition to ANY student enrolled in ROTC in the State of Oklahoma! This means if you are from (for example) Alaska, you have been accepted by OU and are planning to enroll in Naval ROTC at OU, you qualify for in-state tuition! This is a large tuition savings of nearly $10K per year for out-of-state students enrolled full-time. This means all NROTC College Program students now enjoy in-state tuition at OU effective July 01, 2015! (Senate Bill 138, passed and signed by Governor Fallin on April 21st 2015: See Sections 3242 and 3247 of Title 70, Oklahoma Statutes, as amended in 2015).

Edwin Price Ramsey

lieutenant-colonel-edwin-price-ramseyLieutenant Colonel Edwin P. Ramsey was born in Illinois 9 May 1917 and was raised in Kansas. He was graduated from the Oklahoma Military Academy (Now Rogers State College) May 1938 and commissioned a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Reserve.

He entered into active duty, February 1941 with the 11th Cavalry Regiment at Campo, California. The regiment was ordered to the Philippines in June 1941. Following the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in December he lead desperate rear guard actions against the Japanese and was awarded the Silver Star for leading the last U. S. Army Horse Cavalry charge on the village of Morong, Bataan Peninsula, 16 January 1942. Escaping capture, he formed guerilla forces in central Luzon and, for three years, fought the Japanese Army and the Communist Huks until liberation in 1945.

His many awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, two Philippine Distinguished Conduct Stars, Gold Cross and Legion of Honor. He is the author of “Lieutenant Ramsey’s War”, published January 2002.

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2010. Read more about Lt. Col. Ramsey.

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Artist’s concept of Lt. Ramsey’s “Last US Army Cavalry Charge.”

 

State’s ROTC Units to Enter Military Hall of Fame

goldsealThe Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame will honor the state’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs and their alumni this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the national program that has produced thousands of trained officers who’ve led American service men and women in the nation’s wars.

Since 1999, the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame has inducted Oklahoma veterans ranging from privates to generals. It also has inducted Oklahoma military groups, which include Oklahoma’s tribal code talkers, who confused enemy forces by broadcasting American troops’ messages in their Native American language.

This year’s hall of fame inductions will be held Oct 21 at the Embassy Suites in Norman.

Individuals who are eligible for induction into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame can be native Oklahomans or veterans who have had a connection with Oklahoma during their careers.

3_57The state’s ROTC programs will be the latest group inducted.
Because this year is the Centennial of the ROTC program, Maj. Gen. Douglas O. Dollar, the founder of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, wants as many Oklahoma ROTC alumni as possible to be recognized for their service to our country.

“We are certain there are alumni of Oklahoma’s ROTC programs in virtually every community in the state,” said Dollar. “We hope to recognize as many as possible and invite them to the hall of fame ceremonies in October.”

ROTC alumni are encouraged to find further information and register to be recognized for their service on a Web site set up especially for the event, www.okrotc2016.org.

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) was created by the National Defense Act of 1916. There were military schools in America before 1916, but the National Defense Act signed by President Woodrow Wilson led to establishment of ROTC units in most states.

The ROTC programs in the nation train college students to become commissioned officers. These ROTC students volunteer for this training and have an obligation to serve in the Armed Forces after graduation from college and commissioning.

imagesJDD50A1DInitially, just men were in the ROTC programs. Beginning in September 1972, women who were enrolled in colleges and universities were eligible to be in the ROTC programs.

Currently, Oklahoma has seven ROTC programs. They are:
— University of Oklahoma Army ROTC, Naval and Marine ROTC and Air Force ROTC
— Oklahoma State University Army and Air Force ROTC.
— University of Central Oklahoma Army ROTC.
— Cameron University Army ROTC.

Oklahoma Military Academy was established at Claremore in 1919. It commissioned many of its ROTC students before the school closed in 1971.