Army News 

A life-threatening car crash was just one of many obstacles that Erin Cole, a senior in BYU’s Army ROTC, believes has shaped who she is today. Now she sees herself as someone who has accomplished mental and physical feats she once considered too difficult to achieve.

On a ferry near the northern coast of France, Brigham Young University senior Joseph Ward imagined himself as a solider on the morning of June 6, 1944, preparing to invade Normandy. Ward, a member of the BYU Army ROTC, was touring the main locations of Operation Overlord—the campaign that turned the tide of World War II—and discovered a deeper understanding of leadership.

At the start of the fall semester, Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business, welcomed 11 new faculty members to the college. “At BYU Marriott, our faculty are dedicated teachers, exceptional scholars, and transformative role models. We are thrilled to welcome these new professors and know that their insights and experience will greatly enhance the educational experience of our students.”

Before he came to Provo as the new chair for the Department of Military Science and head of Brigham Young University’s Army ROTC, LTC Travis Bailey planned to make his assignment in Kansas City his last. With a leap of faith to request a new position, Bailey was transferred to BYU, where he now leads the program with his nearly 20 years of active-duty military experience.

Army ROTC cadets interested in graduating college as a commissioned officer are required to complete summer training. So this past summer on a hot and humid day at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Brigham Young University student Aidan Fryar helped a teammate in need. For this display of leadership, among others, event organizers awarded Fryar the Patton Award, which distinguishes a single cadet out of roughly 600 who demonstrated confidence, boldness, dash, and daring during a time of crisis.

In conjunction with Brigham Young University’s yearly presidential review of the Army and Air Force ROTC cadets, Brig. Gen. Derek O’Malley received the 2023 Patriot Award for his dedication to the values of duty, honor, country, God, and family.

As a member of the Army Reserves and an MBA student in the BYU Marriott School of Business, Jared Sturgell believes in serving others. Over time, Sturgell has found helping others brings immense satisfaction in life, and he continues to serve as a volunteer advisor for the BYU Army ROTC.

For Alayna Grossnickle, Utah’s arid desert climate contrasts the lush landscape of her hometown in Maryland. But over time she has found a family of support in an unexpected place: the Brigham Young University Army ROTC.

The BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian has announced Lieutenant Colonel Travis Bailey as the new department chair for the Department of Military Science and head of BYU’s Army ROTC program effective July 17, 2023.

In April Brigham Young University’s Army ROTC competed in the annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition in West Point, New York. In the end, in spite of injuries and uncertainty, the team showcased leadership and teamwork throughout the competition.

Teaching ROTC cadets is a new experience for BYU military science instructor Nathan Schell. However, Schell’s nearly 20 years of US Army service prepared him to tackle this opportunity. Prior to starting this position in 2021, Schell trained hundreds of soldiers as a drill sergeant and fought on the front lines during nearly three years’ worth of deployments to the Middle East.

One of the most iconic marks of BYU is the slogan, "Enter to Learn; Go Forth to Serve." For Veterans Day this year, BYU's Army and Air Force ROTC programs remembered those who paid the ultimate sacrifice through military service and honored all those who exemplify this commission, including finance professor Jim Brau.

The United States Army base at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, carries unique meaning for Sadie Hampton. She first served on the base as a missionary and later returned as a soldier to complete basic training. Now a senior in the Army ROTC program, hosted through the BYU Marriott School of Business, Hampton embraces the program’s opportunities to lead and serve her peers.

A life-changing conversation with a U.S. Army recruiter led Jack Sturgeon to join the military. After 25 years of helicopter flying and rescue operations, Sturgeon came to BYU as an army recruiter, helping students who are much like he was find their way. 

Despite knowing almost nothing about the military, Chaim Zuniga followed a prompting and joined BYU’s Army ROTC program, which is hosted through the BYU Marriott School of Business. Now, Zuniga—who credits God for his life’s direction—plans to become a United States Army chaplain so he can help others spiritually. 

During his early career in the United States military, Master Sergeant Wesley Gipson served multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan under the harshest and most demanding of circumstances.  At the time of his deployments, Gipson could not have predicted that he would later share what he learned from those experiences with young cadets as the newest senior military science instructor at the BYU Marriott School of Business.  

The BYU Army and Air Force ROTC programs held three commissioning ceremonies during April and May 2022. The Air Force ceremony recognized 13 graduating cadets for their entries as second lieutenants into the United States Air Force, and the two Army ceremonies recognized a total of 18 graduating cadets for their entries as second lieutenants into the United States Army.

Strapped in full gear, weapons, and backpacks, 11 BYU Army ROTC cadets hauled themselves up the steepest hills and terrain to finish the first day of the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition. As the cadets, who are from the BYU Army ROTC program hosted by the BYU Marriott School of Business, started to approach the end of the last task, a cadet from the team ahead became injured, falling behind. The BYU students stopped to help this competitor finish the rest of the challenge.  

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, were life changing for 13-year-old Nathan Christiansen. That day, and the events that followed for years after, would inspire Christiansen to serve his country. Since completing the ROTC program at BYU, which operates under BYU Marriott, in 2012, Christiansen has been serving in the United States Army.

While growing up in a military family, Roland Griffith was also surrounded by members of the military who served as his leaders in youth programs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The influence of these leaders inspired him to join the United States Army. Now, as the operations officer for the Army ROTC program at BYU, which is operated by the BYU Marriott School of Business, Griffith is committed to being a similar role model for his cadets.