Army and Air Force ROTC Will Commission 32 Lieutenants in Separate Ceremonies

Clemson University’s Army and Air Force ROTC units will hold separate ceremonies to commission 32 Second Lieutenants on May 5, 2021. Air Force commissioning ceremony will begin at 9:00 a.m. and Army commissioning ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. The ceremonies, with limited attendance, will occur in Memorial Auditorium, Old Main Hall and will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Twenty students will receive commissions into the U.S. Army, and twelve students will receive commissions into the U.S. Air Force.

The ceremony will feature guest speaker for the Army: Brigadier General Jeffrey Jones

Brigadier General Jeffrey Jones serves as the 29th Deputy Adjutant General of South Carolina. He is Second in Command of the SC Military Department, which includes the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, SC State Guard, and the SC Emergency Management Division. He also serves as the Deputy Joint Force Land Component Commander during defense support to civilian authorities (DSCA) missions.

BG Jones enlisted in 1985 as a Field Artillery Cannon Crewman, and assigned to SVC Battery, 3-178th Field Artillery (FA), Chesterfield. Jones subsequently attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1987.

A career Field Artilleryman, Jones has served in every key leadership position from Battery through Brigade levels. In July of 2004, Jones deployed as Battalion S-3, 1-178th FA, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2007, Jones was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and served as Battalion Commander, 1-178th FA.

In May 2009, Jones was assigned as Brigade XO, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB) in Charleston. He served as Chief of Staff during the Brigade’s mission as Headquarters, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Explosive Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF), an immediate response asset for U.S. Army NORTHCOM. In August of 2011, Jones was assigned as 218th MEB Deputy Commander (DCO) and, from 2012 to 2013, deployed to Kosovo as DCO, Multi-National Battle Group-East (NATO KFOR). 

From January 2014 to May of 2017, Jones served as Commander, 218th MEB. During his Command, the Brigade served as Joint Task Force Operations, Command and Control, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Element (C2CRE). Jones also commanded Task Force response operations along the entire South Carolina coast during the 2015 S.C. Floods, and Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016. Jones is a 1987 graduate of The Citadel, and he holds Master’s Degrees from the University of South Carolina and the U.S. Army War College. Among his military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the NATO Medal (KFOR). Jones resides in Lexington with his wife, Amanda. They have three children: Houston, Lydia, and Isobel.

Following the commissioning ceremonies, the newly appointed lieutenants will participate in a Silver Dollar Salute on Clemson University’s Military Heritage Plaza. The ceremony marks the first salute received by the officer from an enlisted member. As a sign of mutual respect, the officer presents the enlisted member with a silver dollar.

The commissioning candidates for May are:

United States Army

Kaitlyn Marie Bochicchio of Hunt Valley, Maryland majoring in Nursing

Peyton Imani Brisbane of Charleston, South Carolina majoring in Pan African Studies

Christopher Joseph Bulger Jr. of Hanson, Massachusetts, majoring in Financial Mgmt.

Paul Jeffrey Campbell II of Asheville, North Carolina, majoring in Criminal Justice/Sociology

Anderson Wyatt Cook of Greenville, Tennessee majoring in Criminal Justice

Victor Corrales of Eden, North Carolina majoring in Criminal Justice

Deshon Marquez Daniels of Columbia, South Carolina, majoring in Biological Sciences

Curtis Carbone DeBell of Olympia, Washington, majoring in Political Science

Ryan Christopher Harp of Spartanburg, South Carolina, majoring in Political Science

Caroline Elaine Knight of Simpsonville, South Carolina majoring in Civil Engineering

Samuel Gribbin Lucas of Hendersonville, North Carolina majoring in Marketing

Charles Ward O’Tuel of Mooresville, North Carolina majoring in Marketing

William Jacob-Lewis Paschall of Andrews, South Carolina majoring in Psychology

Andrew Livingston Sharp of Fort Mill, South Carolina majoring in Biological Sciences

Giancarlo Luis Silva of Dallas, North Carolina majoring in Criminal Justice

Fiona Noel Slater of Melrose, Massachusetts majoring in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology

Daniel Mark Thomas of Walnutport, Pennsylvania, majoring in Environmental Engineering

Elizabeth Radcliff Tobin of Clarksville, Tennessee majoring in Food Science & Human Nutrition

Kirk Lyon Wrobley Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri majoring in Business Management

United States Air Force

Colt Drew of Landrum, South Carolina, majoring in Mechanical Engineering

Anna Garcia of Honeoye Falls, New York, majoring in Criminal Justice

Joshua Hall of Goose Creek, South Carolina, majoring in Information Systems Management

Paul Laverne of Charleston, South Carolina, majoring in Civil Engineering

Marjorie Leird of Summerville, South Carolina, majoring in Nursing

Jacob Owens of Easley, South Carolina, majoring in Criminal Justice

Heath Pratt of Fort Mill, South Carolina, majoring in Construction Science & Management

Oliver Smith of Pittsford, New York, majoring in Political Science

Zachary Smith of Charleston, South Carolina, majoring in Accounting

Olivia Tonetti of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, majoring in Environmental Sciences

Jason Turenchalk of Poughkeepsie, New York, majoring in Mathematics

Mary Whiteley of South Amboy, New Jersey, majoring in Early Childhood Education