Dept. of Military Science Commissions Four Army Officers
Cadets (from left) Devin Darron Bird, Samuel Patrick Cowgill, Jacob Richard Maechler and Howard Dean Watts III take their commissioning oath as second lieutenants during an afternoon ceremony at the Convocation Center.
JONESBORO – The Department of Military Science and Leadership at Arkansas State University commissioned four ROTC cadets into the Army today (Friday, Aug. 7), during a ceremony attended by family, friends and university staff.
The new officers also will receive their university diplomas during Arkansas State’s Summer Commencement this evening.
Col. Corey B. Seats, commander of the 233rd Regional Training Institute of the Arkansas National Guard, was guest speaker for the officer commissioning ceremony which was attended by the cadets' families, friends and military officials. Seats also serves as deputy prosecuting attorney and coordinator for the Second Judicial District Drug Task Force.
A native of Brookland, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the ROTC program at A‑State, where he also completed his bachelor's degree in political science before entering law school.
Lt. Col. Michael Fellure, professor of military science and department chair, administered the oath to the new officers:
- Devin Darron Bird of Cabot was commissioned second lieutenant into the Arkansas National Guard. Bird's degree is in interdisciplinary studies. He was pinned by his grandparents, Johnny and Linda Bird.
- Samuel Patrick Cowgill of Pocahontas was commissioned second lieutenant into the Arkansas National Guard. Cowgill, whose bachelor's degree is in mathematics, was pinned by his fiancé, Kim Nguyen, and his mother, Vanessa Cowgill.
- Jacob Richard Maechler of Mena was commissioned second lieutenant into active Army, Chemical Corps. Maechler, who earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, was pinned by his wife, Forrest, and his parents, Brian and Jennifer Maechler.
- Howard Dean Watts III of Dyersburg, Tennessee, was commissioned second lieutenant into the Arkansas National Guard. Watts, who received a bachelor's degree in business administration, was pinned by his parents, Greg and Sharon Davis, and his girlfriend, Ashlyn Godfrey.
# # #
