Twenty-six Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) midshipmen were commissioned as naval officers at a ceremony held at Texas A&M University (TAMU), May 15.

The seventeen Navy-option, eight Marine-option NROTC midshipmen, and one Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) students were commissioned by Col. Paul Timoney, commanding officer of the TAMU NROTC unit.

"This is the largest commissioning class we've had during my time here," said Timoney. On the Navy side, this class exceeded the nuclear mission of the Navy and on the Marine side, our candidates received honors for performance at Officer Candidate School (OCS). This is indicative of the caliber of midshipmen in the program and the quality of education at Texas A&M. This is a great class."

The newly-commissioned ensigns and second lieutenants will serve in all corners of the globe and in nearly all warfare communities of the Navy and Marine Corps team.

"I came to Texas A&M for the Corps of Cadets and I am very glad to make it this far," said Ensign Stephen Adams. "I'm really excited to head to flight school and out into the fleet."

Officers commissioned by the TAMU NROTC unit were also recognized at a joint ceremony by retired Army Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez, Commandant of the Corps of Cadets. The Corps of Cadets develops well-educated leaders of character who will pursue careers in the military or in the private sector.

The NROTC program is overseen by Rear Adm. Rich Brown, commander of Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. NROTC was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and Navy core values in order to commission college graduates as naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC includes Recruit Training Command, the NROTC at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command Newport, and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about NROTC, visit www.nrotc.navy.mil.

For more information about NSTC, visit www.netc.navy.mil/nstc or visit the NSTC Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.