Puluhan mahasiswa dari program Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) di berbagai universitas Amerika Serikat, termasuk University of Missouri dan University of Notre Dame, resmi dilantik menjadi perwira militer pada Mei 2026. Para lulusan ini akan bertugas di berbagai cabang angkatan bersenjata, mulai dari Angkatan Darat hingga Space Force.
Katie Vlaming, lulusan teknik biologi dari University of Missouri, menjadi salah satu kadet yang bertransformasi menjadi perwira melalui jalur Air Force ROTC. Keputusannya bergabung dengan militer dipengaruhi oleh latar belakang keluarga dan minatnya pada kedirgantaraan sejak usia muda.
"I’ve known from a young age that I wanted to serve in the military. My dad serves in the Navy, and some of some of my favorite memories growing up were visiting museums on base and building model aircraft together. He’s also a Mizzou alum, so I grew up in a proud Mizzou household. During my senior year of high school, I discovered Air Force ROTC and decided to apply. I was especially drawn to the opportunity to commission into the U.S. Space Force through AFROTC, which ultimately set me on my current path," ujar Katie Vlaming, Perwira Space Force.
Selama menempuh pendidikan di Mizzou, Vlaming mengaku harus menyeimbangkan beban kuliah teknik yang berat dengan komitmen kedisiplinan di program ROTC.
"Mizzou and AFROTC have challenged me to grow both academically and personally. Balancing a rigorous engineering degree with ROTC commitments taught me strong time management and discipline. I’ve had countless opportunities to lead, step outside my comfort zone, and learn from both successes and failures. The support from professors and ROTC cadre has been key to developing my confidence and leadership style," kata Katie Vlaming, Perwira Space Force.
Vlaming juga menekankan pentingnya interaksi dengan individu dari berbagai latar belakang selama masa studinya yang memperluas perspektif komunikasinya.
"I’ve also learned how to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds, which has broadened my perspective and strengthened my communication skills. Whether through my ROTC peers or my roommates who are journalism students, I’ve built a network that has shaped who I am today. Most importantly, Mizzou instilled in me a growth mindset that encourages me to stay humble, adapt and keep moving forward," lanjut Katie Vlaming, Perwira Space Force.
Setelah ini, ia dijadwalkan mengikuti kursus pelatihan perwira di Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, dengan harapan bisa bergabung dalam skuadron peperangan elektromagnetik.
"My next step is attending Officer Training Course at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After completing training, I will be assigned a Space Force Specialty Code and move to my first duty station. While I don’t know my exact assignment yet, I’m hoping to work in Space Operations, ideally within an electromagnetic warfare squadron at Peterson," tutur Katie Vlaming, Perwira Space Force.
Vlaming memberikan saran bagi mahasiswa baru yang tertarik mencoba program militer ini tanpa harus langsung terikat komitmen dinas di tahun pertama.
"You never really know if something is right for you until you try it. AFROTC builds leadership skills, discipline and a strong sense of community beyond the military service aspect. As an out-of-state student, it gave me a second home at Mizzou, which meant a lot. There’s also no service commitment during your first year, so there’s nothing to lose by giving it a shot. If it’s not for you, that’s completely OK, but you might be surprised by how much you gain from the experience!" pungkas Katie Vlaming, Perwira Space Force.
Sementara itu, di komunitas tri-kampus yang melibatkan University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, dan Holy Cross College, sebanyak 60 mahasiswa dilantik ke dalam angkatan bersenjata Amerika Serikat. Lt. Col. William Kobbe melaporkan bahwa 23 di antaranya bergabung dengan Angkatan Darat.
Para mahasiswa ini memiliki fleksibilitas untuk memilih jalur tugas aktif, cadangan, atau Garda Nasional, dengan mayoritas mendapatkan pilihan utama mereka.
"Essentially, 22 out of 23 got their number one choice [and] one got his second choice. Arguable it was 1a and 1b. He was very happy with that," jelas Lt. Col. William Kobbe, Profesor Ilmu Militer.
Kobbe menyatakan bahwa program di Notre Dame telah menjadi salah satu yang terbaik di tingkat nasional dalam beberapa tahun terakhir.
"The program, the last three years, has been named the number one program in our brigade," kata Lt. Col. William Kobbe, Profesor Ilmu Militer.
Ia telah mendampingi perkembangan kepemimpinan para mahasiswa tersebut sejak awal masa kuliah mereka.
"I met [a] majority of these students their summer leading into their first year here at Notre Dame. I’ve been a part of their leadership development and growth, and the deep sense of pride in each and every one of them is a thing that inspires me to keep going," tambah Lt. Col. William Kobbe, Profesor Ilmu Militer.
Lucas Brenninkmeyer, salah satu lulusan teknik lingkungan yang dilantik menjadi perwira teknik tugas aktif, akan mulai bertugas pada 14 September mendatang dengan tanggung jawab mengelola puluhan personel.
"It is a lot of people managing. I will be in charge of probably between 30 and 40 people," ungkap Lucas Brenninkmeyer, Perwira Angkatan Darat.
Brenninkmeyer mengaku ketertarikannya pada dunia militer muncul karena ia tidak menyukai pekerjaan di belakang meja.
"I didn’t want a desk job," kata Lucas Brenninkmeyer, Perwira Angkatan Darat.
Ia memandang peran barunya sebagai wadah untuk mengabdi dan mengembangkan potensi diri menjadi lebih baik.
"I started looking into the military, and then as I got older, I got more and more interested," lanjut Lucas Brenninkmeyer, Perwira Angkatan Darat.
Ia menambahkan alasan pribadinya memilih jalur ini sebagai bentuk pelayanan masyarakat.
"a great way to become a better version of myself," tutur Lucas Brenninkmeyer, Perwira Angkatan Darat.
Matt Santini, lulusan jurusan keuangan, memilih jalur cadangan agar tetap bisa merintis karier sipil di sebuah perusahaan teknologi di Wisconsin sambil bertugas sebagai perwira intelijen militer.
"I know that I wanted to start my civilian career right away, and so I elected to go the reserve route. I will be working full time while serving one weekend a month and two additional weeks of training in the reserves," jelas Matt Santini, Perwira Cadangan.
Kobbe juga merinci penempatan perwira lainnya di unit intelijen medis dan teknik sesuai dengan kualifikasi pendidikan mereka.
"three are going to be military intelligence officers. One is going to be a medical service officer, and one is going to be an engineer officer," papar Lt. Col. William Kobbe, Profesor Ilmu Militer.
Di sisi lain, Captain John Smith dari program NROTC menyebutkan bahwa lulusan mereka membawa pengalaman teknis yang besar karena latar belakang jurusan teknik dan sains.
"a huge amount of technical experience that is coming from Notre Dame," ujar Captain John Smith, Profesor Ilmu Angkatan Laut.
Para kadet laut ini dibekali dengan kurikulum khusus untuk menyelaraskan diri dengan nilai-nilai inti militer sebelum bertugas.
"do a number of naval science classes, to align them with the Navy core values of honor, courage and commitment," kata Captain John Smith, Profesor Ilmu Angkatan Laut.
Di Elon University, Erin Hroncich menjadi satu-satunya lulusan tahun ini yang dilantik melalui program Aggie Battalion pada 8 Mei 2026. Ia mendapatkan beasiswa penuh yang memotivasi keputusannya untuk bergabung.
"I also had something that was drawing me to service and to something bigger than myself," kata Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Hroncich mengakui bahwa menjalani program ROTC sambil berkuliah adalah tantangan fisik dan mental yang berat karena jadwal yang sangat ketat.
"I would say the biggest thing I've learned is personal discipline," ungkap Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Ia sempat mengalami masa-masa sulit di mana keraguan muncul terkait kemampuannya untuk menjadi seorang perwira.
"There are a lot of times that I wanted to quit and give up, and there are times that I felt like I didn't have what it takes to be an officer," lanjut Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Hroncich berharap ke depannya militer dapat terus bertransformasi menjadi lebih inklusif bagi kelompok marjinal dan perempuan.
"The world is going to be changing so much and so fast, and one of the most important things to do is make sure that you have women in spaces like these and people of color in spaces like these," tutur Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Menurutnya, representasi yang beragam sangat penting karena militer adalah wajah Amerika Serikat di mata dunia internasional.
"It’s so important for us to make sure everyone’s being represented, because this is who represents us abroad, and that should reflect the entire U.S., not just one specific group," tambah Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Pengalaman berpindah ke kampus lain seperti NC A&T yang merupakan HBCU diakui Hroncich telah membantunya berkembang secara personal.
"It’s such a great experience to be able to go to a different program, especially an HBCU, when you come from a school like Elon," ujar Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Ia merasa pertemuan dengan orang-orang dari latar belakang pendidikan yang berbeda memberikan perspektif baru selama masa kuliah.
"It’s important to be able to meet different people who have different backgrounds, who go to a different school than you. I personally feel like it’s helped me grow a lot and experience a lot more in college," lanjut Erin Hroncich, Perwira Cadangan Angkatan Darat.
Sean Giovanello, koordinator program ROTC di Elon, menyebutkan bahwa mahasiswa program ini seringkali sudah bangun saat mahasiswa lain belum beristirahat demi menjalankan pelatihan fisik.
"They’re up before lots of students maybe even go to bed at Elon," kata Sean Giovanello, Koordinator ROTC.
Para mahasiswa ini dianggap memiliki dedikasi luar biasa karena harus menyeimbangkan tanggung jawab militer dan akademis secara penuh.
"In addition to their part time work with the Army, which can feel like a full time commitment for students, they are also full time students at Elon and deeply immersed in campus," lanjut Sean Giovanello, Koordinator ROTC.
Giovanello mengamati adanya penurunan partisipasi militer dalam kehidupan masyarakat Amerika secara umum, namun ia tetap optimis melihat dedikasi para kadetnya.
"It’s worth remembering how hard this work is and how much it takes from the students," papar Sean Giovanello, Koordinator ROTC.
Ia melihat kontras antara narasi negatif tentang pemuda masa kini dengan realitas yang ia temukan di lingkungan kampus militer.
"I also think it reflects some of the larger things we see in American life, where there’s a smaller percentage of the population that have served or have a family member that has served, and so forth," tambah Sean Giovanello, Koordinator ROTC.
Ia meyakini bahwa kehadiran para perwira baru ini menjadi bukti komitmen generasi muda dalam menjaga nilai-nilai kebangsaan.
"We read so many things that are negative about the youth today, and I kind of feel that just working at a college, what is often reported or discussed in the media does not mirror what we see on college campuses," tutur Sean Giovanello, Koordinator ROTC.
Giovanello menegaskan bahwa upacara pelantikan tersebut menunjukkan bukti nyata dari upaya perbaikan diri dan dedikasi untuk masa depan.
"Certainly coming to something like this, you see that, in evidence, and maybe even more so, where so many students have dedicated themselves to improving themselves and serving the future," tutup Sean Giovanello, Koordinator ROTC.
