ROTC seniors to be commissioned as US Army officers

By Morgan Kamara//

Three Hood College ROTC seniors will be commissioned as US Army officers in a ceremony on May 19.

The ceremony will be held in the Whitaker Commons at 1 p.m. 2^nd Lt. Michael Hainsworth, 2^nd Lt.  Michael Hilliard and 2^nd Lt. Austin Fitzsimmons will deploy later in the year.

Hainsworth, a sociology major, will be graduating with a 3.0 GPA. Hainsworth is from Townsend, Delaware, and before coming to Hood, he attended First State Military Academy, according to Capt. Austin Twombly. Hainsworth served as the vice president of Veterans Service Organization. Hainsworth will become an active-duty armor officer at Fort Benning in Georgia in October.

Hilliard will receive a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He was a long stick middle on the lacrosse team and scored five goals in his career as a Blazer. Hilliard will be an active-duty field artillery officer in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Fitzsimmons will receive a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in psychology. Captain Twombly said, He reached the rank of sergeant promotable and served on active duty for six years prior to beginning ROTC, Twombly said. Fitzsimmons was the president of the Veteran Service Organization. Fitzsimmons is commissioning as an active-duty ordnance officer and will be assigned to Fort Shafter, Hawaii, upon completion of the Basic Officer Leader’s Course at Fort Lee, Virginia.