Cadet recieves highest ROTC honor

By Liz Scheid

Kaci Pennington wasn’t dreaming about being in the ROTC as a kid, but with a little help and push from her brother, she is following in his footsteps.

Now in her fifth year in the ROTC program, Pennington, a senior majoring in criminology law enforcement, has won the George C. Marshall award, given to the most outstanding cadet at each university where ROTC is offered.

“ We’re very proud of her,” said her mother Connie Pennington. “Her brother won it last year. We’re really excited that she was able to do it too.”

The award was presented last week at a four-day seminar in Lexington, Virginia.

“ It was really cool. It was a relaxed atmosphere for once,” said Kaci, joking about the usual rigors of the program, which trains students to be military officers.

Maj. Maximo Luna, who has known Pennington for two years, said winning the George. C. Marshall Award is a major achievement.

“ It’s like a trophy,” Luna said. “There’s nothing better than this award.”

Luna said the instructors look for a scholar, an athlete and a leader when they select a cadet for the award. They send their nomination for approval to higher headquarters in Virginia.

Pennington had all the qualifications, Luna said, “She’s an excellent student. She’s done well for herself.”

Pennington said she stays motivated by focusing on her end goals and with an extra push from her older brother, Kyle.

Pennington wasn’t fascinated by ROTC from the time she was little.

“ I wasn’t making paper airplanes or anything as a kid,” she said. “A role model such as my brother has helped me develop to become what I am now.”

She joined ROTC in high school, but her brother was the one that enrolled her in ROTC classes at Fresno State. She thought they would simply satisfy general education requirements, but she became interested.

" There was never a female in ROTC that I looked up to,” Pennington said. “I hope that I give the girls in ROTC a role model that I never had.”

Luna said Pennington will start flight school in June and be a National Guard officer. Pennington said she wants to work for the California Highway Patrol and fly for a law enforcement agency.

Lt. Col. Barrett W. Larwin, professor and chair of the military science department, wrote a letter of recommendation for Pennington’s application to flight school.

In it, he highlighted her accomplishments, including: achieving the Dean’s List in her criminology major while maintaining a perfect GPA in her military science courses; being in the top 20 percent nationally out of all cadets in the nation; and playing catcher for a time on the Bulldog’s varsity softball team.

She also was the first female to make the Ranger Challenge Team and last year was co-captain of the team, leading it to a second-place finish in the Western Regional Championships. This year, she led the team to a first-place finish, Larwin wrote.

Pennington was the battalion commander last semester, the unit’s highest ranking position. As a battalion commander, She was responsible for everything that happened to the corps of cadets. Larwin said Pennington is serving as operations officer this semester, planning and executing all events.

“ As a leader, Cadet Pennington inspires all members of the Bulldog Battalion with her unsurpassed diligence and love of the Army,” Larwin wrote.

Pennington was modest about her accomplishments.

“ I wouldn’t say that I’m a great leader, because I haven’t really done anything yet,” Pennington said. “What I do after this will determine whether I’m a good leader.”

Pennington said that in the Army, being a good leader means being a follower first.

But she’s earned the respect of her peers.

“ She does more than most people are willing to do,” said Richard Wukmir, a junior cadet in ROTC, majoring in history. “She’s definitely great. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

Luna said Pennington is well-liked and relates to everyone.

“ She’s a happy person,” Luna said. “She’ll make a good officer.”

At last week’s seminar, Pennington got a chance to meet and interact with top Army officials.

Guest speakers included Army Secretary Thomas White and General Eric K. Shinseki, chief of staff of the Army. Pennington, along with six others, was chosen to sit with White for lunch.

Cadets were assigned different military topics for seminar discussion.

One of the Pennington’s topics involved the ethical decisions surrounding the character of an officer. Pennington said character was important because officers’ decisions affect a lot of people.

Her other topic was Asymmetric Challenges to the United States: Terrorism, Information Warfare and Criminal Cartels. Pennington wanted to be involved with this discussion because she thought it was interesting and also because it was led by a West Point Military Academy department head.

“ You were dealing with the top cadets,” Pennington said. “And dealing with people that had their head on straight.”