Josh Cadji

State Hornet

In the spirit of patriotism and honor, respect and service, theSacramento State-based Reserve Officer’s Training Corps willbe holding its annual Armed Forces Day Celebration on Thursday atHornet Stadium.

The variety of events offered will celebrate what it means to bea cadet for Armed Forces ROTC, Detachment 88.

The ROTC parade will commence at 7:30 a.m. Cadets will march inthe parade, and the traditional change of command for the CadetWing Commander will be performed. At the end of every semester, theCadet Wing Commander position is turned over, bringing in a new oneto continue the tradition that has been alive ever since the MiddleAges.

Lt. Col. Mark Mooshian says that the tradition started as a wayfor troops to get to know their new commander, and now it is partof the Armed Forces Day Celebration; the change of command stillcarries special significance for a lot of cadets.

“They take pride in the change of command. A lot ofpreparation goes into the ceremony, the drills,” says StanLau, cadet wing public affairs officer.

“They’ve done a lot of work to get here, and this isthe event to celebrate it,” Lau says.

In addition to the marching and music, two special honors willbe presented.

The Honor Flight award goes to the cadets who have surpassedexpectations when it comes to community service and academics. TheWarrior Flight award is given out to those cadets who haveroutinely shown exemplary skills in training and physicalfitness.

Each flight is part of a wing, along with squadrons. There are20 cadets in a flight, making up part of the 120 cadets of awing.

Each flight, totaling six in all, has a Guidon &- a small,colorful flag. Flags A, B, C, D, E and F are displayed, offering avibrant celebration for each flight.

Later, all senior air force officers review the marching of thecadets. This event is called the Pass in Review. After the review,the cadets reassemble.

At 8:15 a.m., a formation of four T-38 jets will fly over thestadium, producing nothing short of an awe-inspiring aerialperformance.

Afterwards, the celebration resumes at Serna Plaza, where therewill be static displays by a variety of military servicesrecruiters, distributing information about the Army, Navy, Marinesand more.

On Thursday, for four hours, the cadets of Air Force ROTC,Detachment 88 will get to celebrate achievements that are sometimesoverlooked at Sac State.