A special Hall of Fame induction and celebration honored the men of Rhode Island State College who distinguished themselves in the cause of freedom with extraordinary service in World War I and World War II. Family, friends and fellow alumni gathered at the Memorial Union in remembrance of the recipients.
The ROTC Chapter also honored the sacrifice of the following men who were killed while serving on active duty during the Vietnam War:
Maj. Walter J. Decota ’54, U.S. Marine Corps
Capt. Edward A. LaPierre ’55, U.S. Air Force
Capt. Robert L. Mosher ’59, U.S. Army
First Lt. Carl W. Myllymaki ’65, U.S. Marine Corps
Second Lt. William G. Schanck Jr. w/’70, U.S. Marine Corps
Sgt. Danny V. Scurfield w/’67, U.S. Army
Specialist Paul F. Little w/’70, U.S. Army
The ROTC program involves students from URI, Roger Williams University, and Salve Regina University. The program is known as Cramer’s Saber Battalion. The following URI alumni were also inducted:
Maj. Gen. Rocco Negris, U.S. Army, Retired, ’53
Brig. Gen. Paul E. Casinelli, Medical Corps, Retired, ’76
Col. Nicholas H. Grosz Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, ’62
Col. William J. Lacey Jr., U.S. Army, Retired ’63
Col. James H.P. Kelsey, U.S. Army, Retired ’65
Col. John Petrella Jr., U.S. Army, Retired ’68
Col. William A. MacKinlay, U.S. Army, Retired, ’69
Col. John Campbell, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, Retired, ’81
Col. Richard W. Brown, U.S. Army, Retired, ’84
Lt. Col. Milton F. McKenna, U.S. Army, Retired, ’68
Lt. Col. Paul L. McNamara, U.S. Army, Retired, URI PMS (Honorary)
Pictured Above:
Retired Col. Thomas Heaney, president of URI ROTC Alumni Chapter congratulates Gen. Paul Casinelli (right) as he accepts induction into the URI ROTC Hall of Fame.
Photos by Mike Salerno
This release was written by Caitlin Musselman, a URI Marketing and Communications intern and a public relations and political science major.