Twenty-five cadets from the University of Hawaii’s Army ROTC program were officially commissioned as second lieutenants, taking on leadership roles in the Army amid simmering geopolitical tensions. They took their oaths and had their gold rank bars pinned on their uniforms by friends and family at a ceremony at Ke‘ehi Lagoon Memorial Hall.

ROTC cadets pursue a regular academic major as full-time students, but also attend classes on military professional development, do physical training in the mornings and participate in occasional field training exercises like the one at Bellows. Those who receive scholarships get their tuition paid for and are under contract to serve as officers in return.

Unlike many other schools, UH hosts ROTC programs from each military branch except the Coast Guard, which commissions officers through its own academy and other programs. The university’s location in Hawaii also puts it in proximity to military commands, training areas and foreign policy think tanks that give future officers unique training and internship opportunities.

UH Army ROTC’s Warrior Battalion counts several generals among its alumni.

“Being in Hawaii, the nexus of the nation’s academic, military and diplomatic efforts in the Indo-Pacific region, these cadets have engaged in opportunities most ROTC elements can only dream of,” said Lt. Col. Jerrod Melander, professor of military science, who oversees the program. “They’ve hosted physical training with cadets from the Republic of Korea and Canada, engaged with Army leadership in Hawaii, many of which are in this room.”

Maj. Gen. Joseph Ryan, commander of the Schofield-based 25th Infantry Division, told cadets, “The best Army career advice I ever got, I got as a cadet, and I believe that to this day, and it’s simple: Seek tough jobs and do them well.”

“The position that makes you uncomfortable, the job that you’re not ready for, the job that nobody wants, but that you know is essential to making the team successful is the job you should strive to take,” Ryan said. “Do it again — over and over and over. It sounds like it’s exhausting, but here’s the secret: Because of what you’re going to do as a lieutenant, as an officer in the United States Army, it isn’t exhausting. It’s absolutely exhilarating. Because you’re doing it with others.”

Those in the room were also well-acquainted with the potential dangers and costs of military service. Vietnam veteran Allen Hoe also spoke. His son, UH Army ROTC alumnus 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe, was felled by a sniper’s bullet during the 2005 battle for Mosul in Iraq. He was one of 17 alumni of the program to have lost their lives over the decades.

“As you and the cadets of 2023 embark on your career and reflect upon the Warrior Battalion alumni whose shoulders you now stand on … , we pledge never to let their memory slip into the long shadows of the forgotten, for that would be a fate worse than death,” said Hoe.

The newly minted officers take on military serv­ice in an uncertain time. Deployments to conflict zones have decreased, though they have not stopped. Troops continue to serve in places such as Iraq, Syria and Somalia. But in Hawaii, commanders have their eyes set on China amid a series of disputes between Beijing and neighboring countries.

In particular are fears that tensions between China and Taiwan — a self-ruled island that Beijing considers a rogue province — could spark a major regional conflict.

The new officers are also commissioning at a time when fewer people want to serve. A 2022 Gallup Poll found the public’s trust in the military had dropped to 64% in 2022 from 72% in 2020. Army recruitment in 2022 was roughly 25% short of the service’s 60,000 recruitment goal, and service leaders expect to fall short again this year.

As they navigate these realities and take on their responsibilities, Ryan told the fresh lieutenants that a recently promoted junior officer in his division taught him the expression “the axe will forget, but the tree will always remember.”

“As a second lieutenant you are a leader, you are in charge of someone — perhaps multiple someones,” Ryan said. “Your words and your deeds will matter. Kindness will matter, and empathy is a critical part of leadership. Never be careless and never be transactional with those that you lead.”