For the first time since 1991 the Huskies are No. 1.
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Detachment 910 received the Right of Line award recently. The award is given annually by national headquarters to the top corps from among 145 ROTC programs around the country. The 91探花corps has frequently been a finalist for the award, but this is just the second time it has claimed top honors. The announcement has everyone in 鈥淒et 910鈥� in a good mood, according to their leader.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very fun couple of weeks,鈥� said Col. Rob Coe. 鈥淭he award traditionally goes to some of the really big schools like The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute and some of the big schools down in the Southeast.鈥�
But Coe and others from the 91探花detachment received a strong foreshadowing of the honor in March. During a unit compliance inspection 鈥� an evaluation process that each detachment goes through every three years 鈥� the UW鈥檚 Det 910 received an outstanding rating. It was the only detachment in the nation to receive the highest possible score on that inspection.
A top division of the Air Force conducts those inspections and looks at everything from record keeping to the number and quality of cadets produced by the program. The 91探花graduated 47 cadets last year, the fourth-highest total nationally. And many of those graduates were high achievers, including one who went on to Harvard Law School and another who earned a full-ride scholarship to medical school.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 win an award like this without good cadets and we have some very good ones here,鈥� Coe said.
He also cited the support of the 91探花and the surrounding Seattle community as big factors in the detachment鈥檚 success. The Provost鈥檚 Office and Student Fiscal Services in particular, Coe said, have provided services that separate Det 910 from other groups around the country.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also fortunate to be in Seattle where there鈥檚 a lot of things happening in the high-tech industry,鈥� he said. Coe said the cadets are able to tour Boeing, for example.
Coe said the detachment is enjoying the award, but also recognizes the increased pressure that goes with that success.
鈥淣ow more than ever we feel like we have to live up to this on a daily basis. We try for perfection all the time.鈥�