Alumni and Awards

VSU ROTC General Officers

Four Star General Officers

Dennis L. Via
Dennis L. Via

(8th)
1980


Three Star General Officers

Alonzo E. Short, Jr.
Alonzo E. Short, Jr.

(4th)
1962


Two Star General Officers

Ernest R. Morgan
Ernest R. Morgan

(2nd)
1952


Leo A. Brooks
Leo A. Brooks

(3rd)
1954
W. Montague Winfield
W. Montague Winfield

(6th)
1975
One Star General Officers
Alfred J. Cade
Alfred J. Cade

(1st)
1952
Bert W. Holmes, Jr.
Bert W. Holmes, Jr.

(5th)
1963
Sheila R. Baxter
Sheila R. Baxter

(7th)
1978
BG Charles R. Hamilton
BG Charles R. Hamilton

(9th)
Alfred F. Abramson III
Alfred F. Abramson III

(10th)
1988
BG William L. Thigpen
BG William L. Thigpen

(11th)
BG James S. Moore Jr
BG James S. Moore Jr

(12th)

Notable Facts

  1. LTC (Ret) Irene F. Logan, first female commissioned in the ROTC program in 1976.
  2. COL Sheila R. Baxter, 1978 graduate, is the first female promoted to BG.
  3. MAJ Ester Sharpe, 1987 graduate, first female from Virginia State University deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Shield
  4. COL Velma Richardson, Assistant Professor of Military Science '80-'83, first female from the ROTC Staff promoted to BG.
  5. LTC (Ret) Veronica L. Baker first female to serve as PMS since the program originated in 1947 by LTC (Ret) Robert M. Hendrick, Jr.
  6. MG Leo A. Brooks is the father of BG (Ret) Leo A. Brooks, Jr. and GEN Vincent K. Brooks, currently the Commander, U.S. Army Pacific.

Awards

  • 2000 General Douglas MacArthur Award, Best Battalion US Army Cadet Command, Medium School Category
  • 2009 Thurgood Marshall College Fund Outstanding ROTC Program Award 
  • 2010 Thurgood Marshall College Fund Outstanding ROTC Program Award
Distinguished Alumni

VSU graduate, 1LT Ruppert Sargent, was the first Black officer in history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Click here for more information:  www.sola.vsu.edu/departments/military-science/trojan-warrior-battalion-rotc/history/medal-of-honor.php.

VSU ROTC PMS Years
1st LTC (Ret) Robert M. Hendrick, Jr. 1947-51 Deceased
2nd LTC (Ret) Crawford H. Lydle, Jr. 1951-54 Deceased
3rd LTC (Ret) Clinton C. Burke, Jr. 1954-57 Deceased
4th LTC (Ret) George C. Bingham 1957-59  
5th LTC (Ret) Jesse J. Mayes 1959-64  
6th LTC (Ret) T.J.L. Stephens 1964-67  Deceased
7th LTC (Ret) Phillip Mallory 1967-68 Deceased
8th COL (Ret) Ira Snell 1968-69  
9th LTC (Ret) Napoleon Booker 1969-70  
10th LTC (Ret) Norris F. Dendy 1971-74  
11th LTC (Ret) Jona McKee 1974-79  
12th COL (Ret) Frank E. Underwood 1979-82   
13th COL (Ret) Wilbert M. Dean 1982-84  
14th LTC (Ret) Dan Johnson 1984-87  
15th LTC (Ret) Clarence T. Catchings 1988-92  
16th COL (Ret) Cortez K. Dial 1992-94  
17th LTC (Ret) Michael M. Shackleford 1994-96  
18th LTC (Ret) Larry D. Moore 1996-97  
19th LTC (Ret) Lloyd J. Brown  1996-97  
20th LTC (Ret) Veronica L. Baker 2002-06  
21st LTC (Ret) Jeffrey Garland 2006-10  
22nd LTC Christopher A. Tompkins 2010-2011  
23rd LTC (Ret) Daniel M. Maloney 2011-2014  
24th LTC John P. "JP" Swoopes 2014-2015  
25th LTC David D. Johnson 2015-2018  
26th LTC Tony Wrice 2018-Present  
Approximate Number of ROTC commissionees 1949-2017:  1,640