Two May Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
In addition to graduating from Fairmont State University in May, two new alumnae also earned their first salute.
Chelsea Cobb of Dunbar graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, and Abbey Wilson of Parkersburg graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science on May 10. During a ceremony a day earlier, both were commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army after successfully completing the Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) offered through a partnership between Fairmont State and West Virginia University. As part of that ceremony, the newly commissioned officers received their first salute.
Cobb and Wilson were softball teammates at FSU and started taking Army ROTC classes together. Both made the decision to commit to a future in the military.
New officers are branched to a specific corps in the Army to serve on active duty or in the National Guard or Reserve. They attend an officer basic training course relating to their military occupation and then complete advanced training by attending basic officer leadership courses. Wilson will pursue further training to fly a medevac helicopter and will be assigned to a medevac unit in Williamstown, where she eventually will become a platoon leader. Cobb, who received much of the training needed for her occupation through the FSU School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration, will become a medical surgical nurse in a Charleston medical unit.
Fairmont State students of any major can enroll in Army ROTC courses. First-year and second-year students learn basic Army fundamentals, including the rank structure, how to wear a uniform, customs and courtesies. Third-year and fourth-year students in the Advanced ROTC course learn the fundamentals of leadership, including techniques, ethics, small unit tactics and preparing for commissioning. Students have the opportunity to receive scholarship funds. For more information about Army ROTC at Fairmont State, call (304) 293-2911 or click here.
Chelsea CobbAbbey WilsonROTCU.S. Armymilitary scienceSchool of Nursing and Allied Health AdministrationSchool of Education, Health and Human Performance
