Ready to Lead

Nine Students Commissioned as Army 2nd Lieutenants

December 22, 2009

By Mimi Ko Cruz

Nine Cal State Fullerton students have been commissioned for duty as Army second lieutenants. The new officers, who also have completed their bachelor's degrees, are:

Andrew M. Adams, history, of Fullerton
Mariana G. Bernardo, criminal justice, of Perris
Tony T. Chan, business administration, of Garden Grove
Robert Fisher, economics, of Mission Viejo
Armando Galeana Jr., criminal justice, of La Puente
Trevor Lloyd, psychology, of Placentia
Minh D. Pham, sociology, of Orange
Daniel H. Suh, biological science, of Fullerton
Steve Truong, kinesiology, of Irvine

At their commissioning ceremony Dec. 18, Lt. Col. Jonathan Nepute, coordinator of Cal State Fullerton's military science program, congratulated them and called them "dedicated, hard-working young people."

"You are entering an admirable assignment," Nepute said. "Make ethical decisions and take care of yourselves and your soldiers."

Major Gen. Bruce Casella, commander of the 63rd Regional Support Command in Moffett Field, delivered the keynote address. He offered this advice:

"Be sure your ethical conduct is beyond reproach.
Take the high ground.
Never compromise your integrity.
Take calculated risks.
Be adaptable.
Never stop learning.
Set high standards and demand excellence from yourself first, and then, your soldiers."

Adams, Pham and Truong are entering active Army duty; Bernardo and Fisher are in the Army Reserve; and Chan, Galeana, Lloyd and Suh are entering National Guard duty.

Nepute said he expects about 20 cadets will be commissioned in the spring. The university's ROTC battalion presently has 160 cadets in the program but, he said, he expects the number to decrease next year, due to budget cuts.

"We are cash-strapped and scholarships have been essentially cut off," he said, adding that those who do get scholarships still will participate in various training programs and overseas internships.