Four midshipman and a Marine Corps staff sergeant in the Rice University Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) unit were commissioned as Navy and Marine Corps officers aboard the historic Battleship Texas here, May 17.

Justin Fu, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Meghan Meriano, from Houston, Texas, were commissioned as U.S. Navy ensigns. Bryan Hassett, from Grant Pass, Oregon, Benjamin Moyette, from New York, and Vu Pham, from Austin, Texas, were commissioned in the Marine Corps as second lieutenants.

Rice University was the second university in Texas to host NROTC beginning in 1941; and with the Prairie View A&M University unit, makes up the NROTC Houston Consortium.

The ceremony was conducted on the Battleship Texas, whose final mission was to carry soldiers stationed across the Pacific home after Japan's surrender in World War II. When the battleship completed this mission, the state of Texas acquired the ship. On April 21, 1948, Battleship Texas was decommissioned, and became a memorial ship. Today, Battleship Texas is a floating museum and stands as a memorial to the bravery and sacrifice of the servicemen who fought in both world wars.

Each graduate was recognized by Rice's NROTC Commanding Officer, U. S. Navy Capt. Michael Carambas, in front of an audience of more than 60 family, friends, Marines, Sailors, and midshipmen. The commanding officer commended the newly commissioned officers on being part of one percent of the country's population that are serving in the nation's defense. He was followed by the guest speaker, Bill Sherrill; who spoke of his experience serving in Iwo Jima and the value of education in today's society.

When asked about the ceremony, Ensign Fu said he "appreciated Capt. Carambas adding a personal note about each of us."

Newly commissioned 2nd Lt. Hassett said he was "thankful to his wife, Bethany, for standing by his side" and is "ready to go to The Marine Corps Basic School" in September.

After the ceremony family and friends congratulated the newly commissioned. Many of the parents present described the moment watching their children commission as one of the proudest in their lives.

Upon completion of the ceremony Marla Meriano, Ensign Meriano's mother, felt "the ceremony was very special and family centered. Capt. Carambas made all of the families feel comfortable and allowed them to be a part of the ceremony."

The NROTC program, overseen by Rear Adm. Rich Brown, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, 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 (RTC), NROTC at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command (OTC) on Naval Station Newport, R.I., and the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about Rice NROTC visit www.nrotc.rice.edu or visit the Rice NROTC Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/RiceUniverstiyNROTC.

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/.