May 06, 2021
U.S. Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe lauds commissionees for defending Constitution and its ideals
They marched into Sabine Field, uniforms pressed, gazes purposeful, strides deliberate, ready for their long-awaited moment. Joint Commissioning was nigh, and before the Norwich University ROTC cadets swore into their armed forces branches, they’d sit their last collective stint together.
One hundred sixty-four Class of 2021 graduates would commission — 98 into the U.S. Army; 40 into the U.S. Air Force; 16 into the U.S. Navy and 10 into the U.S. Marine Corps. (Two of the Air Force commissionees plan to later transition into the U.S. Space Force.) In his keynote speech, U.S. Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, a 1986 Norwich grad who is also the Massachusetts National Guard’s adjutant general, would reflect on having sat in their seats and contemplated the future.