BCC arrests affect Army ROTC members
Members of Army ROTC refrained from wearing uniforms to class Thursday.
Published March 5, 2010
On any other Thursday, freshman Army ROTC member Ryan Drago would be wearing his uniform in class. But not this Thursday, two days after two members of the Navy ROTC were arrested on suspicion of hate crimes and tampering for allegedly dropping cotton balls Feb. 26 outside the Black Culture Center.
All of Army ROTC's 125 members refrained from wearing uniforms to class Thursday, Army ROTC Executive Officer Joe McCoskrie said.
"We just want to do what we can to make sure we don't further instigate any problems," McCoskrie said. "We're sympathetic to how these things can cause conflict, and we want to make sure we avoid conflict."
Drago said the decision not to wear uniforms Thursday was one made by the Army ROTC as a whole.
"Not wearing uniforms today was a personal decision for all of us," Drago said. "But what we do, we do together."
McCoskrie said the MU Police Department contacted Army and Navy ROTC to inform them there would be an increased police presence Thursday around Crowder Hall in response to the arrests of Navy ROTC members senior Zachary Tucker and freshman Sean Fitzgerald. Army ROTC also canceled its regular Thursday afternoon study hall session in Crowder Hall.
Navy ROTC functions separate from Army ROTC and chose to wear uniforms as usual, Navy ROTC Executive Officer Michael Waldhauser said.
"Our programs work out of the same building, but other than that they're pretty much completely separate," McCoskrie said. "We have separate leadership."
Army ROTC members will wear their uniforms on their next class day, Tuesday.
"The changes will only be in place for today," McCoskrie said. "Next week everything will be back to normal for us."
Navy ROTC Commanding Officer Robert Wilson said the crimes at the BCC were contrary to the Navy's core values.
"The Navy is committed to and has continued to be at the forefront of equal opportunity and awareness, and I concur with Chancellor (Brady) Deaton in that, like the University of Missouri, the Navy is fully committed to tolerance and respect for everyone," Wilson said in a news release.
Wilson said Navy ROTC's punishment of Tucker and Fitzgerald will be in accordance with that of the university.
"As the university has suspended the students, the NROTC program will place them on an interim leave of absence, pending the university investigation," Wilson said. "If they are removed from the university, then they must be removed from the NROTC program as well."
Comments (6)
12:11 p.m., March 6, 2010
Jim said:
Wait if the r-tards that did it were navy rotc why is the story about the army rotc
5:04 p.m., March 6, 2010
Pam said:
I maintain that this racist behavior would, of necessity, require their dismissal from Officer Training. They have demonstrated a clearly racist attitude which is unacceptable in the modern armed forces, and most especially unfit in an officer cadet. It would be criminal to permit racist officers to control the lives of minority enlisted service people.
11:16 a.m., March 8, 2010
Betelgeuse said:
As Mike said, the actions of a couple do not reflect on the general population. However, doffing their uniforms as a protest against the Navy ROTC cadets who did this dumb thing causes me to question what kind of leaders they will be. Let the Navy and the university take care of it, learn from it and make sure they don't have such idiots in their command. Otherwise, what are they going to do? Strike in the middle of a war? I read, I educated myself but the Army ROTC cadre are still morons...and on a par with the Navy noobs.
2:26 p.m., March 8, 2010
TommyK said:
I would hope that they are removed from the program if guilty, regardless of university action. The Commanding Officer has an incredible amount of leeway, and only needs a preponderance of evidence to remove them from the program, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The Navy doesn't need officers badly enough to keep these knuckleheads around.
10:22 p.m., Aug. 10, 2010
Doug said:
CAPT Wilson, the Commanding Officer of the NROTC unit is black. I'm sure that this has hit him as hard as it has hit the rest of the black community. I'm white, but all the same, I hope that strong action is taken by the unit against these two whether the university deems it necessary or not.
5:17 p.m., March 5, 2010
Mike V said:
Hey, As a minority student who was entirely offended by the cotton incident, I just want all you ROTC students to know that anyone worth a damn will not judge you guys based on the acts of two idiots. You guys do so much for us, our campus, and our country, and everyone in this university respects that. Be proud, and I think its a shame you guys couldn't wear your uniforms. Just as we can't base judgment on entire races based on individual acts, nobody should judge you guys because of an isolated lapse in judgment. You guys rock.