First Marine Corps District Awards Nearly $8 Million in Scholarships
Submitted by: 1st Marine Corps District
Story Identification #: 2005413101356
Story by Staff Sgt. Jerry Wright
Douglas Cion, 17, (center), senior at Saint Anthony’s High School in Huntington, N.Y., stands with Sgt. Marc Plunkett, (left), recruiter, Recruiting Substation Lindenhurst, and Capt. John Ostman, (right), executive officer of Recruiting Station New York, after receiving a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship for up to $150,000 for college. Douglas will be attending State University of New York Maritime College and participate in the NROTC program. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Douglas turned down a $5,000 Leadership Skills Scholarship from Harvard University and chose the Marine Corps, as the NROTC Scholarship will pay 100 percent of his schooling. Photo by: Sgt. Jared Hansen
MARINE CORPS RECRUITING STATION HARRISBURG, P.A. (April 13, 2005) --
The 1st Marine Corps Recruiting District announced that Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarships valued at $7,950,000 have been awarded for the coming academic year to 53 applicants throughout Northeastern United States.
One hundred ninety-eight applications were submitted and 27 percent of the applications were selected for $150 thousand each.
“I attribute the District’s success to volume,” said Maj. Karl E. Williams, assistant for officer procurement, 1st MCD. “We gave the selection board almost 200 applicants to review. When you get that much volume the cream always rises to the top.”
According to the Military Personnel Procurement Manual, this highly competitive program is designed to educate and train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the Regular Naval and Marine Corps Reserves.
“These individuals have demonstrated the scholastic aptitude and leadership potential to carry the Marine Corps into the new millennial,” said Maj. Kurt E. Mogensen, commanding officer, Recruiting Station Harrisburg, Pa. “The dollar value of the scholarship ensures they have the opportunity to fully concentrate on academics. We view this as an investment in our community, our Corps’ future, and is well vested.”
According to Capt. Christopher R. Barnard, former executive officer, RS Harrisburg, Pa., the selection results reflect the hard work of the staff noncommissioned officers-in-charge and recruiters throughout the District.
“I applaud the recruiters, they got the word out and increased the visibility of the scholarship in the schools. It shows they are concerned with the success of the District as a whole.”
More information about the NROTC scholarships can be found at
www.nrotc.navy.mil or by calling 1.800.MARINES.