Clemson Air Force ROTC named top unit in South Carolina fifth straight year

The Air Force Association recently selected Clemson University’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 770 the Outstanding Air Force ROTC Unit in South Carolina for the 2014-2015 school year.

This is the fifth consecutive year Detachment 770 has claimed the honor. Selection for the award is based on the accomplishments and significant activities of the detachment. Other Air Force ROTC detachments in South Carolina are at the University of South Carolina, The Citadel and Charleston Southern University.

The Air Force Association’s selection of Clemson’s detachment is a testament to the outstanding cadets who participate in Air Force ROTC at the university, said Col. Christopher Mann, professor of aerospace studies and commander of Detachment 770.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our faculty, staff and cadets. We’ve remained South Carolina’s top Air Force ROTC detachment for the last half-decade because of their hard work and commitment,” Mann said. “We also owe a huge debt of thanks to the College of Business and Behavioral Science and the Clemson Corps military alumni organization. Their outstanding support enables us to sustain a world class program that continues to produce the Air Force’s finest officers.”

Among its most important accomplishments, Detachment 770 commissioned 22 second lieutenants in the current academic year. The unit’s cadets also maintain a cumulative GPA that ranks in the top 28 percent of 145 detachments nationally, and their physical fitness places them in the top 27 percent.

Nearly half of the cadets are on competitively selected Air Force scholarships worth more than $1.1 million annually and more than 70 percent of the cadets are in challenging technical-degree fields.

In addition to completing an outstanding military training program, the state’s top Air Force ROTC unit contributed 1,478 community service hours through more than 35 organizations in the upstate.

For more information about Air Force ROTC, contact a cadre member at 864-656-3254.