GENERAL Leon J. Laporte

Major General William W. Wotherspoon

     A native of Providence, Rhode Island, COL Regan graduated from Classical High School prior to attending URI.  COL Regan enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps while at URI and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant along with a Chemical Engineering degree upon graduation in 1940.  COL Regan participated throughout the European Theater during World War II and held a number of significant infantry leadership positions throughout the war.  At age 27 COL Regan became the youngest Infantry Regimental Commander in the European Theater of Operations.  Edward Regan was a brave and courageous leader throughout the war, and a highly decorated one.  Among his decorations are:  Silver Star, Bronze Star (two Oak Leaf Clusters), Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre (personally presented to him by General Charles de Gaulle), and the prestigious Rhode Island Cross for Valor.  COL Regan died in 1997 and was buried with full military honors in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.  While this University of Rhode Island ROTC Hall of Fame election is a significant honor, COL Regan has received numerous other military and civilian career honors over the past several years – the most recent being his recognition by the Narragansett Council Boy Scouts of America as part of their tribute to “Scouts Who Served…..” in the U.S. military.  COL Regan was also an Eagle Scout and often attributed his early scout training to his development as a successful soldier and civilian businessman.

     Born in Ashaway, Rhode Island, John Leach attended URI from 1953-57 graduating and receiving a commission as an Infantry Second Lieutenant in June 1957.  While at URI, LTC Leach was a leader at an early age:  he was the corps of cadets COLONEL as a senior.  He was also the star fullback on the undefeated 1956 URI football team.  Since his own days as a cadet, for 48 years, John Leach has selflessly served the URI community, “Cramer’s Sabers, our Army and our nation.  Colonel Leach has served throughout the world in a variety of assignments, including two combat tours in Vietnam and two tours working with the URI ROTC until his retirement in 1984 following an assignment at the Army’s Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  John Leach has also been active in his civic and church communities, serving as a board member of the Westerly Armory Restoration Project, the Olean Center;  as a volunteer for the Camp Yawgoog C.O.P.E. Committee, and as the main force in the Westerly High School Hall of Fame.  Colonel Leach currently lives with his wife, Carol, in Westerly, RI.

     Dick Smith’s election to the ROTC Hall of Fame culminates a long period of service and intense personal dedication to the officer training and development (ROTC) program at URI.  Though not a product of the ROTC program at his alma mater, Dick has been elected to it’s Hall of Fame under the very special category as:  an alumnus or person of extraordinary talent who has given considerably of his time and resources to the betterment of the ROTC program at the University of Rhode Island and who is presented for consideration for this honor by either the Alumni Association or the Professor of Military Science.

Dick’s nomination and subsequent election stems from his unfailing work over the many years on behalf of the ROTC program at URI and for his tireless efforts to memorialize and remember those members of the URI military community who gave their lives in the service of our country.

Dick was a major force behind a considerable fundraising project to support the construction of a memorial in honor of the seventeen military service personnel from URI who were killed in action during the Vietnam War.  This “URI-17”memorial is located immediately in front of the entrance to the Keaney Gymnasium and consists of a set of three large granite benches with the names of each of these seventeen soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who gave their lives in the service of their country.  Were it not for Dick Smith’s relentless fundraising and memorial design efforts, this project would never have happened.

In addition to the memorial, Dick has aggressively and consistently led a major corporate and individual fundraising campaign over the past many years.  As a result of his efforts he has been able to establish a sizeable account at the URI Alumni Association.  The interest earned from this large account is used each spring by Dick to present multiple awards of sets of full Army Dress Blue uniforms to deserving graduating cadets.  Again this past spring, Dick presented these two awards at the annual ROTC Awards Ceremony held on the Kingston campus. Dick continues to serve the URI ROTC Alumni Association as a member of their Board of Directors. Dick and his wife, Anne, live in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Dick Smith passed away in June 2010.  He was buried in Riverview Cemetery in Westerly, RI with full military honors.

     Ken was born in Providence, RI and raised in Warwick.  He began at URI as a chemical engineering major, eventually transferring into the Civil Engineering program and complete his degree after four years, graduating in 1941.  While an undergraduate at URI, Kendall applied for and was accepted into the ROTC program – at  the time when it was a very limited and highly selective program.  Following graduation in 1941, Ken was ordered to active duty with the 1^st Infantry Regiment and served as Platoon Leader and Company Commander for a total of 37 months.  During this period, Ken participated with the early forces that landed in the invasion of North Africa, the invasion of Sicily, and then on June 6, 1944 he landed at Omaha Beach in France during the “D-day” invasion.  Ken was wounded during the Omaha landing but considers himself so much luckier than most others.  He was shipped to an Army hospital in England and following his recovery he returned to his unit to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium.  When the war ended, Ken joined the Reserve Components and remained active for 22 years during which time he attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  In June of 200 at the annual reunion of his former K Company buddies, Ken was presented with a framed arrangement of the dozen medals he earned through the years.  The most  significant is the Silver Star (with three Oak Leaf Clusters).  Ken taught in the College of Engineering at URI until his retirement in 1980. 

 Ken participated in events at the university AND with our ROTC Alumni Association chapter.  Kendall Moultrop died in 2006 and was buried with full military honors in the RI Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, RI.

     A native of Westerly, Rhode Island, General Elliott R. Thorpe's (1897-1989) military career encompassed two world wars, the reconstruction of Japan, and a tour of duty in post-war Thailand.  He stood guard in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles when the World War I treaty was signed on June 28, 1919. In 1945 he was on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered to General Douglas Macarthur. He may have been one of the last living survivors of both ceremonies.  While these were momentous and singular events, General Thorpe's unheeded warning about the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941 was arguably his most memorable moment.  Serving as a military attaché in Dutch-controlled Java (Netherlands Indies) in 1941 when the Dutch broke a Japanese diplomatic code, Thorpe was informed that intercepted messages referred to planned Japanese attacks on Hawaii, the Philippines and Thailand. He immediately cabled the information to Washington, but this warning was ignored.  A week later the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

In 1943 then-Col. Thorpe was knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands for his work as American Liaison in the Netherlands Indies. In 1945, Thorpe was promoted to Brigadier General.  Gen. Thorpe was honored in 1949 with the title of Knight Commander in the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for his work as military attaché of the American Embassy in Bangkok. Brigadier General Thorpe retired in 1949 after serving 32 years in the US Army.

Elliott Thorpe attended Rhode Island State College for one year as a mechanical engineering student before entering the U.S. Army in 1916.  Even though he did not graduate from the College, he always considered himself an alumnus and was very supportive of efforts to build an adequate campus student activity center.  The post-war campus burgeoned and extra space for the students was added for the campus by using numerous Quonset huts.  One of these huts also served as the student activity center.  He supported a fundraising effort for the construction of a War Memorial Student Union by donating his veteran's bonus check.  He also served as guest speaker at a benefit dinner held on October 27, 1950 at the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel in Providence.  The War Memorial Student Union was built in 1950 largely through fund raising efforts spearheaded by Gen. Thorpe and other alumni. 

In 1946, the General presented the College with a Japanese temple gong which was meant to be displayed in the Union.  The gong disappeared shortly after its receipt.  While efforts were made to recover the gong, it was never found.  Photographs and typescript translations of the gong's inscriptions are all that remain.  Thorpe also donated a ceremonial sword surrendered to him by Maj. Gen. Yoshio Nasu of the Imperial Japanese Army on the occasion of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri. In 1969, Gen. Thorpe presented an autographed copy of his memoir East Wind Rain to the University. Both the sword and the book are presently kept in the Special Collections Reading Room.

On June 11, 1951, General Elliott Thorpe received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters during the institution's first commencement as the University of Rhode Island.  In 1952, Gen. Thorpe was the endorsed Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.  He abruptly withdrew because of an investigation by the U.S. Army's Counter Intelligence Corps questioning his loyalty.  He indignantly felt that the investigation had been politically motivated. The investigation had been a misunderstanding resulting from a 1951 speech addressing the Rhode Island Turkey Growers and Poultry Growers Association in which he criticized the shortage of food growing areas in Japan and the corruption in the nationalistic Chinese regime of Chiang Kai-shek.  He also called for "a greater respect for freedom of speech in America as long as it is not subversive." (Westerly Sun, August 21, 1952).  After a public outcry, the Army quickly cleared the General and apologized for the unwarranted investigation.

He and then-President Carl Woodward (1941-1951) were close friends.   They continued to maintain a close correspondence when Thorpe retired to Sarasota, Florida, in 1960.   During his retirement, he served as commissioner with the Whitfield Volunteer Fire Department.  Gen. Thorpe continued to be in demand as a speaker and was sought for interviews by historians and journalists for his first hand account of post war Japan.   Shortly before his death, Thorpe was interviewed for the 1989 BBC production of Sacrifice at Pearl Harbour.  Most recently, Gen. Thorpe was quoted in John W. Dower's 1999 Pulitzer Prize winning book Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II.

He died in 1989 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.  

     Kenneth B. Potter was born in Providence, RI on November 23, 1909 was raised in Cranston, RI and attended the University of Rhode Island, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering in 1933. While at URI Kenneth Potter was captain of the football and baseball teams and a member of Theta Chi social fraternity.  He was elected into the Univ. of RI Athletic Hall of Fame.

  He immediately entered into active duty with the Infantry and attended the U.S. Army’s Infantry Officer basic school at Fort Benning, Georgia followed by the Infantry advance course.  He graduated from the Army War College in June 1956.

 Colonel Potter’s army career is highlighted by his service as an infantry officer in the European Theater during World War II.  He served company and battalion commander with the 3d Infantry Division.  He was awarded a bronze star medal and Purple Heart award as well as a Presidential Unit Citation, among other decorations.  As an infantry battalion commander he was the recipient of the Silver Star medal with four oak leaf clusters and was twice awarded the French Croix de Guerre – once personally from General Charles De Gaulle.  In 1949 (then) Major Kenneth Potter was awarded his second Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism while in leading his unit in action at Heroldsberg, Germany on April 14, 1945 at which time he captured 124 Germans and killed nine more with an enemy weapon he had picked off the ground.  Though wounded twice he was never out of action during the German campaign and commanded the 1^st Battalion, 15^th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, 7^th Army-Europe.

 Colonel Potter commanded Audie Murphy, the most highly decorated soldier of WW II, as an infantryman under his leadership in the 3d Division.  He was in part responsible for recommending Lt. Murphy for his battlefield commission and the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Colonel Potter and Lt. Murphy were lasting friends and he gave the eulogy at Audie Murphy’s funeral following his death in a tragic airplane crash.

 Following the war, Colonel Potter returned to Washington D.C. where commanded the Army’s separation center at Fort Myer, Virginia. Subsequently he worked with Military Intelligence at the Pentagon.  He also was a teacher of math and science at Flint Hill Academy, Fort Hunt and West Springfield High Schools in Fairfax County, Virginia.

 Colonel Potter married the former Dorothy Kasper of Jamestown, RI and raised three children: Kenneth Freeman Potter of Davie, Florida, Nikki D. Cothran and Richard B. Potter of Virgina.

 Colonel Potter died on September 15, 1995 and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. 

     Conrad LaGueux was born in Pawtucket, RI in May 21, 1922 and attended the University of Rhode Island, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering in 1943.  While attending URI he participated in the Army R.O.T.C. program, receiving a commission as a 2d Lieutenant at graduation.

 Lt. LaGueux was ordered to active duty on 15 May 1943 and assigned to the Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia.  After graduation he was immediately assigned to the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in Washington and assigned to a “station outside the continental limits of the United States” according to his orders.  Lt. LaGueux arrived in Casablanca, French Morocco, on November 28, 1943.  During January and February 1944 he was assigned to the 2677^th Headquarters Company Experimental (Provisional), later to be known as the 2677^th Regiment, OSS.  While in France, he completed the airborne qualification course. 

 In August and September of 1944 then Lieutenant LaGueux parachuted with his small army team into southern France where his team’s mission was to harass and attach German forces.  He was awarded a bronze arrowhead for his EAME Campaign Medal for airborne operations in southern France in August 1944.  While in France he worked with the Maquis (French Resistance) in the area of south France known as Tarn.  Later in the war he worked in China training commandos.

 Following release from active duty in 1946 Conrad LaGueux worked for American Cyanamid for three year prior to joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 1949.  He went on to serve with the agency’s Far East Division until retiring in 1977.  Over the years he served as station chief in such posts as Taiwan, Burma and spent much of his later CIA career in Cambodia and Vietnam doing work that led to his receiving two awards of the Intelligence Medal of Merit.  His first award was for his actions in March of 1975 when he made a hazardous personal reconnaissance of the heavy fighting between North and South Vietnamese military forces that ended in North Vietnamese victory.  Mr. LaGueux was credited with obtaining the first authoritative intelligence on the extent of the military deterioration.  He then planned and led the evacuation of key Vietnamese leaders, an operation the citation to his award said was “executed with thoroughness and sophistication”. 

 After retiring from the CIA he served on the executive committee of the Heritage Foundation president’s club.

     General Blount prior to his retirement served the military in numerous major positions.  Included in those assignments was a tour as of the United States Southern Command, Quarry Heights, Panama Canal Zone.  After a tour as the commander of the 1^st Battalion, 12^th Cavalry, 1^st Air Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in the Republic of South Vietnam, he was appointed Personnel Staff Officer for that division.  His next assignment was as Secretary of the Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia.  Thereafter, he served on the General Staff of VII Corps in Stuttgart, Germany, initially as Deputy Operations Officer and then as Operations Officer.  After serving as the commander of the 3^rd Infantry Division Support Command, he was posted as the Chief of Staff of the 1^st Infantry Division (Mech) at Fort Riley, Kansas.  Next, he was assigned to the Office of the Comptroller of the Army as the Director, Operations and Maintenance Appropriation, a position which he held until he became the Deputy Commanding General, of the U.S. Army Training Center and of Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  After being named Commander of the Training Center and of Fort Jackson, he was assigned as the Chief of Staff, TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command.)  Finally, after being promoted to Lieutenant General in 1983, he became Chief of Staff, Allied Forces South, a NATO command consisting of units from Greece, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

      Among the many institutions  that General Blount attended are the Command and General Staff College; the University of Miami, where he received a Master’s Degree in management, the Armed Forces Staff College, the U.S. Army War College; and the Executive Program, national and International Security, Kennedy School of Government.

      LTG Blount and his wife Joan currently reside in Columbia, SC.

          Colonel Babcock, a native of Wakefield, R.I, enrolled in the R.O.T.C. program while a student at URI.  After his 1968 graduation, he was commissioned as an infantry officer.  Among other assignments, he served with the 3d BN, 8^th Regt, 4^th Infantry Division, in the Republic of South Viet Nam.  While serving in that unit, he earned the Combat Infantry Badge, the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Air Medal.  After completing his initial active duty tour, he joined the Rhode Island National Guard.  There, he has held a number of progressively more responsible positions, including that of Commander, 110^th P.A.D.;  Battlefield Circulation Officer and S-3 of the 43^rd MP Brigade; Plans and Operations Officer, State Area Command; Commander, 243^rd Regiment, Regional Training Academy; Chief of the Training Division, State Area Command; and Deputy Chief of Staff - Operations, Joint Forces Headquarters, Rhode Island National Guard.  At present, he is the Commander of the 56^th Troop Command.  In  2003, he volunteered for active duty in Afghanistan, where he spent 6 months as Chief of Staff, Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan.  In 2005, he volunteered for duty in Iraq, where he spent three months. 

2009 Hall of Fame honoree

Richard Sweet, a native of Cranston, Rhode Island, received his commission as a 2Lt in the US Army through the R.O.T.C. program at URI – Class of 1951.  In February 1968 during the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, then Lieutenant Colonel Sweet as Battalion Commander of the 2d Battalion/12^th Cavalry, 1^st Air Cavalry Division, distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions and heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with the armed hostile forces of North Vietnam.  In his book “The Lost Battalion of Tet” author Charles A. Krohn describes the series of events during 3-5 February 1968 in the vicinity of Hue, Republic of South Vietnam, when LTC Sweet led his encircled battalion through heavy enemy resistance, under a steady hail of mortar and heavy automatic weapons fire from three sides to retain a critical position.  Subsequently, the battalion’s perimeter came under extremely heavy bombardment and shortly thereafter bean receiving ground attacks by large numbers of North Vietnamese soldiers.  LTC Sweet skillfully directed the perimeter defense, personally encouraging his troops’ fight.  After dark, LTC Sweet devised a plan to deceive the surrounding North Vietnamese forces and move through their positions to a new location deeper in their lines of communication.   The entire battalion slipped through the enemy’s encirclement without suffering one casualty.  LTC Sweet’s example provided the inspiration for his troops and by daybreak they had successfully occupied commanding terrain deep inside the enemy’s area of operations.  For his actions during 3-5 February 1968 then Lieutenant Colonel Sweet was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

BG Sweet continued his military service after the Vietnam War, rising to the rank of flag officer.  BG Richard S. Sweet died in 1994 at the age of 64 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  He was inducted into the URI Army ROTC Hall of Fame in November 2009.

Colonel O’Connell was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at the University of Rhode Island in 1968 with a BA in Economics.  He later earned a Masters Degree in Management from Central Michigan University while attending the Army’s Command and General Staff College.  While at the Naval War College, he also earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations, while graduating with the highest distinction.

MG Morphis Jamiel '43

Morhis A. Jamiel enlisted as a private in the army enlisted reserve on June 4, 1942 and retired as Major General, his final assignment with the 43d Military Police Brigade in the Rhode Island Army National Guard.  In the years between, this URI graduate served on active duty in World War II (7^th Armored Division), fought and was decorated for his service in the Battle of the Bulge, led infantry troops during the Korean War (43d Infantry Division – 118^th Engineer Battalion/Germany when mobilized for Korean conflict) and continued active army service afterwards.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Army Chief of Staff, and Charles- Prince of Belgium presented Jamiel a citation for leading his men heroically in the vicinity of St. Vith, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, assisting in the halt of the Germany army advance thereby facilitating the allied counter attack which began on 20 January 1945.

General Jamiel earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, two Bronze Star medal/with Valor devices, the Purple Heart, the Belgian Croix DeGuerre, World War II victory medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, the Legion of Merit and Rhode Island National Guard Service Medal. 

As a civilian and full time army National Guard officer, MG Jamiel, a Warren, Rhode Island native, earned a JD degree and served as Probate Judge.  He continues to practice law in Warren as of January 2011.

LTC Paul F Helweg Jr   ‘70

2007 Hall of Fame honoree

 Lt. Col. Helweg graduated from URI with a degree in chemistry and was commissioned an ordinance officer in 1970. Following active duty in 1971, LTC Helweg served with the 443rd Civil Affairs Company in Warwick, Rhode Island and then the 76^th Division Maneuver Training Command in Cranston, RI.  During that time, he completed three officer career courses: ordinance, chemical and civil affairs. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1992, Helweg was assigned to the 98th Regiment, 98th Division, as instructor/trainer for the Command and Staff Services School and Command and General Staff College, a post he held until his 1998 retirement.

     In 1999 LTC Helweg became active with the URI Army ROTC Alumni chapter.  He was elected president of the chapter in 2001, and held that position for the next six years. During his time as chapter president, several milestones were reached by the chapter. For example, LTC Helweg established the Army ROTC Fund for Military Excellence within the URI Foundation and created the URI Army ROTC Alumni Chapter Newsletter.  The alumni newsletter was a key success in reaching out to URI ROTC alumni and resulted in an ongoing communication with over 400 alumni.  A comprehensive ROTC alumni contact list with over 1100 members has enabled the alumni chapter to flourish and revitalize alumni support of the ROTC program at the University of Rhode Island.  LTC Helweg was instrumental in creating the annual Dress Blue uniform donation program for senior cadets, a program that continues.  Helweg was also a driving force behind the creation of the chapter web site (www.uri-rotc-alum.org ) which serves as an important connection between interested alumni and both the undergraduate program and other alumni.

     LTC Helweg organized the first ROTC alumni golf outing in 2004 to draw alumni together and to raise funds for the ROTC Endowment:  “ROTC Fund for Military Excellence”, proceeds from which an annual prize is awarded to a deserving senior ROTC cadet and other funds are given back to the ROTC undergraduate program.  LTC Helweg was an assistant mens lacrosse coach at URI for three years.  He continues to serve as a member of the ROTC alumni chapter’s Board of Directors.

      LTC Helweg resides with his wife, Linda Mathewson, in North Kingstown, RI.

COL Phil Saulnier ‘62

2009 Hall of Fame honoree

MG (Ret) Kenneth J. Quinlan ’73  Bio

Ken Quinlan graduated from URI in 1973 with a BS degree in Civil Engineering and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the infantry.  He completed airborne-jump school, air assault qualification, obtained the master aviator badge and his Ranger Tab.  He served as a platoon leader with the 101^st Airborne Division, followed by attending and completing the Rotary Wing Aviator course at Fort Rucker, Alabama.  Following various company and battalion assignments between 1977 and 1985 he completed the Command and General Staff course at Fort Leavenworth and then became Chief, Force Integration Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

From 1990 through 1992 Ken was S-3 Operations of the Aviation Brigade, 101^st Airborne Division during Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield.  Later, he commanded the 1^st squadron, 17^th Cavalry, 82d Aviation Brigade, 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.  In November 2000 he was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed the position as Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), 1^st Armored Division, USAEUR and Seventh Army, Germany.  He  became commander, Multi-National Brigade (East), OPERATION JOINT GUARDIAN, Kosovo, followed by Chief of Staff, V Corps USAEUR, 7^th Army, Germany.  In 2002-2003 he was Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, SFOR (Sarajevo), Joint Headquarters Centre, Allied Command Europe, Headquarters, SFOR, Bosnia-Herzegovina.  MG Quinlan’s final assignment was as Commandant, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA.

Following his retirement, Ken assumed responsibilities as Vice President for Marketing Elbit Systems of America in Huntsville, Alabama where he currently resides with his wife, Lynn.  MG (Ret) Quinlan has long been a supporter of the Army R.O.T.C. program at his alma mater, giving of his time and talents.  He maintains contact with the alumni chapter and undergraduate/cadet program.  He was inducted into the R.O.T.C. Hall of Fame at the University of Rhode Island in November 2007.

     Major General (P) Flynn graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management

Science and was commissioned through the ROTC program in 1981. Major General Flynn’s assignments include multiple tours

at Fort Bragg, North Carolina with the 82d Airborne Division, 18th Airborne Corps, and Joint Special Operations Command,

where he deployed for Operations URGENT FURY in Grenada and UPHOLD DEMOCRACY in Haiti. He also has served with

the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the

Army’s Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.      

     Major General (P) Flynn is a graduate of the Intelligence Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the United States Army

Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the United States Naval War College. He has

a Masters of Business Administration in Telecommunications from Golden Gate University, a Masters in Military Arts and

Sciences from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and a Master of Arts Degree in National Security

and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College.

     His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster),

Bronze Star Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (with 5 Oak Leaf Cluster), Joint Service

Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Cluster) and several service and campaign medals. Major

General Flynn also has earned the Ranger Tab and Master Parachutist Badge, and the Joint Staff Identification Badge.

     Major General (P) Michael T. Flynn assumed duties as the Chief, CJ2, International Security Assistance Force, with the

additional appointment as the CJ2, US Forces – Afghanistan on 15 June 2009. Prior to serving in this capacity, he served as the

Director of Intelligence, Joint Staff from 11 July 2008 to 14 June 2009. He also served as the Director of Intelligence, United

States Central Command from June 2007 to July 2008 and the Director of Intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command

from July 2004 to June 2007, with service in Operations ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) and IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). Major

 General (P) Flynn commanded the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade from June 2002 to June 2004. Major General (P) Flynn

served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from June 2001 and the Director

of Intelligence, Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan until July 2002.

     Major General (P) Flynn remains a strong supporter of the University and the Army ROTC Program.

MG (R) Roger Nadeau ‘74

     MG (RET) Roger A. Nadeau is native Rhode Islander and a 1974 graduate of the University of Rhode Island as a

Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an

Armor Officer and completed the Armor Officer Basic  Course before continuing on to Airborne School and Ranger School.

He has an MS in Business Administration from Florida Institute of Technology and a MS in Natural Resource and Strategic

Management from the National Defense University. 

     During his 36-year career he served as a Tank Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Motor Officer,

Battalion S-4 (Logistics), Company Commander, and Assistant Professor of Military Science at Tennessee Tech University,

Cookeville, Tennessee. He later became an Acquisition Corps officer and served as the Fielding and Plans Officer, Office of the

Program Manager, Tank Systems, Executive Officer for the Program Executive Officer, Close Combat Vehicles, Brigade S-4

(Logistics), Armor Battalion Executive Officer in Germany and in OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD/STORM.

     He later served as Liaison Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development and Acquisition),

Product Manager, Breacher Program, Program Executive Office, Armored Systems Modernization, Program Manager, Tank

automotive Weapons Systems, Chief of Staff, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and

Technology), Assistant Deputy for Systems Management and Horizontal Technology Integration, Office of the Assistant

Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), Deputy for Systems Acquisition, United States Army Aviation

and Missile Command, and Program Executive Officer, Combat Support/Combat Service Support,

     MG (RET) Nadeau also served as Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems, Deputy Commanding General and

later Commanding General, United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and finally Commanding

General, United States Army Test and Evaluation Command.

             Colonel John Christy is a native Rhode Islander who graduated in 1938 with a degree in Economics and a minor in Journalism.  In addition to working to pay for all of his expenses he found time to participate in ROTC; played varsity football all 4 years; was editor of the campus newspaper, The Beacon; was managing editor of the Grist yearbook; was chairman of the Junior Prom and Sophomore Hop; was moderator of Sachems; and was Chairman of Senior Class Day.  Upon graduation he was placed in the reserves and was called to active duty in February 1941, two months after Pearl Harbor. During WW II Col. Christy served with the 26th Infantry (Yankee) Division in Europe as part of US Third Army under the legendary GEN George S. Patton.  He served initially as a Company Commander, Battalion Executive Officer and later as a Battalion Commander, a position he held throughout the rest of the war.

            Colonel Christy participated in numerous battles as the US Third Army fought its way across Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (an award second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor), the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart for his actions in which he lead his units by demonstrating superior tactical and leadership skills.  He repeatedly was honored for extraordinary heroism in combat.  He was a man who led from the front.  In 1946 he was honored by then Governor John Pastore who awarded him with the Rhode Island Cross.

            Following the WW II he continued his career serving in the Regular Army and continued to serve in a series of ever more responsible positions at major Army Headquarters across the world.  His career culminated in his selection to form the Defense Information School, at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana and he served as the first Commandant of the school. 

            He retired from active duty in 1970 and was recognized by GEN William Westmoreland in a personal letter from the Chief of Staff of the US Army for his distinguished career of service to the nation and the US Army.  Upon retirement he became Executive Director of the Indiana Catholic Conference.

       Colonel Christy died in February 2011 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery

            Colonel (Retried) Peckham was a native Rhode Islander born in Hopkington,  in 1913.  He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Rhode Island State College (now URI) in 1934.   Upon graduation he was commissioned and went into the reserves.  He was ordered to Active Duty in July 1940.  He served 33 years on Active Duty in the U. S. Army culminating in his final assignment as Professor of Military Science at the University of Rhode Island.

            During his lengthy military career, he served in WWII as the Executive Officer for the 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry at North Africa and Sicily, where he fought in the first major battle the Army fought in WW II at Kasserine Pass.  While the US Army got bloodied in the battle, Col. Peckham later fought in battles that defeated the vaunted German Africa Corps.  He participated in the invasion of Sicily and subsequently the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, Northern France, where he was injured.  He returned to the front after 10 days in the hospital and proceeded to lead his battalion in the push thorough France and Belgium.  He fought in battles in the Ardennes Forest, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. His unit is believed to have captured the first city in Germany.   The town square in Gemmenich, Belgium is named for COL Peckham as a result of his actions there when his battalion liberated the town from the German occupying forces.

            He is the recipient of three Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, the Belgian Fourragere, the French Fourragere and the Croix de Guerre avec Etoile d’Argent. (French Military Cross with Silver Star).

            After the war he served in the occupation as a Battalion Commander in Trieste with Trieste United States Troops (TRUST).  Later he served as a Military Advisor in Vietnam with Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) and as Operations Officer G-3 at Fort Devens.

            Upon his retirement from the Army he served on the South Kingstown Town Council and School Committee. He was also the President of the Wakefield Rotary Club and a longtime friend and supporter of the URI ROTC Program. He commissioned his grandson Kevin Holland at URI in 1984.

LTC (R) Phillip J. Gilchrist ‘50

                 Lieutenant Colonel Phillip J. Gilchrist was a Rhode Island native, joined the US Navy at age 17 and served in WW II aboard the USS Turandot AKA-47, a combat support vessel.  At the completion of WW II he enrolled in the Rhode Island State College (now the University of Rhode Island) on the G.I. Bill.  He participated in the ROTC program and upon graduation in 1950 was commissioned an Infantry Lieutenant.

            Lieutenant Colonel (then a First Lieutenant) Gilchrist was serving as a Platoon Leader in Company G, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Gilchrist distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces near Yong-ju, Korea, on 30 March 1951. On that date, Lieutenant Gilchrist was leading his platoon toward their objective, a high mountain peak occupied by a numerically superior enemy force. As he neared the top of this rugged mountain peak, Lieutenant Gilchrist single-handedly engaged seven enemy soldiers and killed them, enabling his men to move forward to the crest and take the position. Before the men could be properly deployed, a strong enemy counterattack was launched. Exposing himself to the intense enemy fire, Lieutenant Gilchrist skillfully directed the defensive actions of his platoon and the enemy was repulsed. Although painfully wounded during this action, he refused medical aid and continued to direct the fire of his men, successfully repelling two more enemy counterattacks. When orders were received to withdraw, Lieutenant Gilchrist remained with a small group to conduct a delaying action until the wounded were evacuated, they covered the withdrawal of the remainder of the group.  For his actions Lieutenant Colonel Gilchrist was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism an award second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor.

            Following his retirement in 1968, he taught contemporary American History at Cranston West High School and subsequently taught economics and History of Western Civilization at Community College of Rhode Island.  He earned two Masters Degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Maryland.  He was active in the Boy Scouts, the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

CPT John L. Creech ‘41

                 Captain (later Dr.) John L. Creech was born in Woonsocket, RI, and graduated from of the Rhode Island State College (now URI) with a BS in Horticulture in 1941.  He served during WWII, where as a first lieutenant in the "Big Red One," the First Infantry Division, he fought in the Allied invasion of North Africa, where Rommel’s Africa Corps eventually captured him.  He and other POWs were flown to Germany where they were sent to camp OFLAG 64 (Offizier Lager = Officers' Camp) in Schubin, Poland from 1943 until 1945. 

            While imprisoned, he applied his skills in horticulture and raised plants in a 60-foot greenhouse to supplement the food for over 1,500 prisoners.  The Germans gave scant rations to the prisoners and starvation was a real threat.  Through his leadership and skills he managed to grow significant amounts of food to feed his fellow captives.   Creech received both the Silver Star, for gallantry in battle for his efforts during the mission in Africa, and the Bronze Star, for his efforts in charge of gardening activities in the camp.  Creech had been heard to say that the Bronze Star for his work in feeding his fellow prisoners meant more to him than his Silver Star for bravery.  Captain Creech's military career ended in 1946, though he remained a reservist until 1953. 

            Upon his return to the Unites States he completed his academic work with a Masters Degree in Horticulture from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in Botany from the University of Maryland. This last location brought him close to his ultimate career destination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For 26 years he worked for the Agricultural Research Service, principally as a plant explorer, specializing in the wild and cultivated woody plants of Asia.

            He was eventually appointed the third Director of the National Arboretum, a position he held for many years. Spontaneous, outgoing, unassuming, accessible and kindly, he was a model ambassador for the Arboretum and its agenda. His work and friendships with Japanese horticultural authorities led to his efforts to institute a collection of Japanese Bonsai trees under the National Arboretum.  His work led the way to a permanent national collection of Bonsai within the National Arboretum and eventually the creation of a museum for Bonsai.

1LT Daniel R. Dye ‘66

                 1LT Daniel R. Dye is a native of East Providence Rhode Island.  He was a 1966 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  He participated in the URI ROTC program during his freshman and sophomore years.  After graduating from URI he enlisted in the Army and completed his Basic Training at Fort Dix, NJ, followed by his Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.  Lieutenant Dye was selected for Officer Candidate School and he graduated from OCS at Fort Benning, GA and was commissioned in June, 1967. In his initial assignment at Fort Campbell, Ky. he trained Infantry soldiers for their deployment to Vietnam. His company commander, CPT William J. Frick, remembered “his supervision of training insured that only the highest quality of training and instruction was being conducted at the unit level. His initiative, drive and enthusiasm set an example to be followed by others. A special mention must be made of his loyalty and devotion to duty. In my opinion he is one of the most loyal and dedicated officers I have ever served with…”

            In June 1968 1LT Dye deployed to Vietnam and was assigned to the Military Assistance Command Viet Nam as an Infantry Advisor, in the Dat Do District in Phuoc Tuy Province.  In October of that year he and another US Army advisor maneuvered elements of the Vietnam army forces against an entrenched Viet Cong force.  1LT Dye’s element was suddenly subjected to an intense barrage of enemy automatic weapons and rocket fire.  As they engaged the enemy it became apparent that the force commanded by him was vastly outnumbered by VC forces.  Lieutenant Dye was at the head of the friendly elements and immediately disregarded his personal safety as he ran under hostile fire to a more forward position from which he could coordinate friendly fires.  He fearlessly exposed himself to enemy fire as he traversed the fire swept terrain, exhorting the Vietnamese soldiers to vigorously engage the enemy.  Dauntless in the face of the imminent danger, he remained in his position, directed friendly fires, and encouraged the Vietnamese soldiers until he was mortally wounded.

            For gallantry in action, First Lieutenant Daniel R, Dye was awarded the Silver Star (Posthumously).  He also received the Purple Heart for his actions.  He was a son of Rhode Island who gave his life in service to our country.

2LT Ryan Andrew Bressler ‘ 52

                 Second Lieutenant Andy Bressler was the son of the former President of Rhode Island State College (now URI), Raymond G. Bressler.  His family was the first to live in the President's residence and a childhood photograph of him can be seen in a Bressler family portrait displayed at the residence.  After serving for several years in the Army Reserves he enrolled at Rhode Island State College and graduated in 1952.  In his senior year he was Cadet Colonel and a member of Scabbard and Blade.  He worked his way through college despite the fact that his father was a former college president.

            Shortly after enrolling in graduate school he was called to active duty and deployed to Korea.  Four days after his arrival in Korea he found himself leading a platoon.  His platoon manned the listening posts for his unit on what became known as Pork Chop Hill.  The Chinese forces infiltrated the American positions and encircled the platoon’s position before the American unit spotted them.  As the firefight developed, 2LT Bressler found enemy forces all around his CP bunker.  He proceeded to issue commands to his men as they fought the enemy within the American trench and bunker fighting positions. 

            Both American and Chinese artillery fire was brought to bear on the now mixed Chinese and American forces.  During the exchange of fires, artillery fire collapsed the Platoon bunker killing several soldiers, and mortally wounding and trapping 2LT Bressler.  While his platoon sergeant tried valiantly to free the wounded Bressler and other wounded soldiers, he found he could not.  In his last exchange with the platoon sergeant, 2LT Bressler ordered him to leave the collapsed bunker and report to the Company CP to provide the Company Commander with critical information on the enemy’s disposition and strength.  2LT Bressler died of his wounds in the bunker.