The Duke University Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) unit commissioned seven midshipmen and one Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) enlisted Marine as Navy and Marine Corps officers during a ceremony on campus here, May 8.

The eight NROTC students were recognized by Commanding Officer Capt. Stephen Gillespie at the ceremony. The newly commissioned officers will serve around the globe in a variety of military occupational specialties including aviation, surface warfare, submarine warfare, and the Marines.

Commissioned as ensigns were; Jacob Crim, Matthew Hendricks, John Hosey, Stefan Knight, Maddison Larson, Kevin McVay, and Mackenzie Tunick. Lance McClanahan was commissioned as a U. S. Marine Corps second lieutenant.

McClanahan was chosen by his class to be the student speaker. He spoke of class accomplishments, camaraderie, and their future responsibilities. McClanahan urged his classmates to "never give up...never quit" despite the challenges they may face in the future.

"This is my first commissioning class as the commanding officer at Duke NROTC, and if their quality is any indicator of what I have to look forward to I am truly excited for the future of this battalion and the Navy," said Gillespie.

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 https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/.

For more information about NSTC, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/, the NSTC Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining/ or www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.

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