The U.S military and St. Augustine’s University partnered to teach cadets about the key contributions of Black military men and women as part of the 3rd Annual North Carolina ROTC Roundtable and the African American Military and Veterans Lineage Day, Feb. 9.
Nearly 200 ROTC cadets from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and JROTC from high schools across North Carolina gathered at the school, joined by the Falcon Battalion and other schools in the state.
The military organizations involved were the NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NC DMVA), the Division of Archives, and the NC Department Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).
The schools that attended were St. Augustine’s University; Shaw University; A&T State University; NC Wesleyan University; William Peace University; Fayetteville State University; Goldsboro High School; Enloe High School; and Wake Forest High School.
Panelists for the ROTC Roundtable included Lt. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, USMC, (Ret.), secretary of the NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; Major Gen. David Wilson, commanding general of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command; Col. Wendy Rivers, division chief of the Department of Army Inspector General; Col. Michael G. McLendon, Army professor of military science at The Citadel Military College; BG Arnold N. Gordon-Bray, U.S. Army, (Ret.) of ANBG Consulting LLC, NC Military Affairs Commission; and Command Sgt. Major Robert T. Craven, 26th command sergeant major of the U.S. Corps of Cadets at the US Military Academy West Point.
The panelists spoke about their own career challenges because of their race and backgrounds, their motivations, and their successes.
“You have what it takes,” Gaskin said. “Don’t ever doubt yourself because of your skin color or your background. Know what you are doing. Do your job and know that advice is always right.”
