With the signature discipline and precision of military service, Yale’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) paraded in full dress uniform during the annual President’s Review, held April 16 in the John Lee Amphitheater at Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
President Maurie McInnis served as reviewing officer for the annual ceremony, in which Yale’s graduating Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC cadets and midshipmen are recognized and the location of their first military posting is announced. The ceremony, a celebration of military education and physical preparedness, features visiting military dignitaries and an audience of the graduates’ families and friends.
The event also includes ROTC students from neighboring institutions, including Fairfield University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, Southern Connecticut State University, the University of New Haven, Wesleyan University, and Western Connecticut State University.
In her remarks, McInnis noted that next month Yale will celebrate its 325th commencement and that in July the nation will mark the 250th anniversary of its founding. Those two anniversaries, she said, offer a chance to remember that 20% of Yale’s living graduates volunteered to fight for independence during the American Revolution. They served in a variety of roles, including as paymaster, commissary officers, and chaplains; two were aides to General George Washington.
“Each of them, in their own way, did their part to secure the hope of democracy for a new nation,” McInnis said.
McInnis, whose father served as judge advocate general in the Air Force, spoke about her great uncle, Haskell E. Neal, who was a brigadier general in the Air Force. When Neal enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1928, he decided to specialize in communications due to a longtime fascination with radios, she explained.
“It wasn’t exactly the kind of work they make movies about,” she said. “But it was crucial work nonetheless, because he had to make sure that accurate and timely information could cut through the fog of war, and the smoke of battle.”
A “common spirit” unites all who serve in the nation’s military, regardless of their specific roles, McInnis said.
“Cadets, midshipmen, each of you will serve our nation in your own way,” she said. “Helping you figure out that unique way is the purpose of a university, just as a university helps all of its students find the special work that only they can do. But you will all pursue your particular work joined with the common spirit of every veteran who has served before you and with the common spirit of every man and woman with whom you will serve.
“I hope that you will let that spirit guide you, and I hope that you will make it your own.”
Yale’s history of military service was also the theme of remarks by Yale Navy ROTC Commanding Officer Capt. Bill Johnson.
Johnson noted that 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Navy ROTC, and that Yale was one of the first six university’s nationwide to host the program. Similarly, Yale was one of the first institutions to host Army ROTC after its establishment in 1916. And, again, Yale was one of the first to provide students the chance to join Air Force ROTC after it was launched in 1947.
The fact that “Yale is always at the front of the line” demonstrates the university’s deep commitment to service, Johnson said.
He recounted the story of the First Yale Unit, a group of Yale students and amateur aviators who in 1916 organized what is considered the first U.S. naval air reserve unit. Members of the unit went on to serve in the highest ranks of the military and hold top civilian positions at the Pentagon. One member, David Ingalls, became the Navy’s first flying ace during World War I. Other members paid the ultimate sacrifice during the war, Johnson noted.
“These amazing heroes of 100-plus years ago have much in common with the cadets and midshipmen we have in front of us today,” Johnson said. “A strong sense of duty, honor, and country. A feeling that for those to whom much is given, much is expected. A dedication to service, to making a difference, to having an impact. An undying loyalty to our county and to each other.”
A series of awards were presented to individual cadets and midshipmen recognizing their dedication, leadership, and achievement. Near the end of the ceremony, the first military postings for cadets and midshipmen who are graduating seniors were announced.
Cadet Kylyn Smith, who is from Columbus, Ohio, will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics before being stationed at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Smith credits the strength of Yale’s students and the range of their interests and academic academic pursuits for helping her prepare to meet the challenges she will face during her career in the Space Force.
“It is not uncommon to find a Yale student who studies mechanical engineering but will stay up until 3 a.m. discussing philosophy,” Smith said. “I think the breadth of experience and understanding that Yale students offer will inform my future service as both a leader and as a member of the public. I’m excited to take that mentality forward into all my future pursuits.”
