Date: Dec 20, 2011

ROTC Ceremony Recognizes 2LT Shelton Thelismon

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … The Hofstra University Military Science Department held its Winter Commissioning Ceremony on December 19, 2011, at the Guthart Cultural Center Theater.  2LT Shelton Thelismon, who received his B.B.A. in Management from Hofstra at midyear commencement on December 20, took his oath of appointment and became a commissioned officer in the United States Army.

(L to r) 2LT Shelton Thelismon with Hofstra University Professor of Military Science LTC David Daniel.

2LT Thelismon, from Brooklyn, NY, completed his studies as a Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG), a designation awarded to the top 20 percent of ROTC seniors in the nation.

The following sterling remarks about 2LT Thelismon were delivered by Professor of Military Science LTC David Daniel. Pictures from the ceremony may be viewed at hofstra.edu/ROTC in the Photo Gallery section:

“Having already served honorably as an enlisted soldier, including a tour in Afghanistan, this ceremony is somewhat of a homecoming for [Thelismon] back into the Active Army.  The path back into the Army that he has chosen, that of the commissioned officer, however, brings with it a whole new set of duties and responsibilities. Officers in our Army are leaders, responsible for everything their soldiers do or fail to do. They must be tough, mentally agile and morally straight.  Having been selected to serve as an Infantry officer, Shelton will likely be deployed somewhere around the globe as early as within 18 months of beginning his follow-on training.  He will be in charge of the training, morale, performance, even the very lives, of his soldiers. Throughout all of this, he will be responsible for making sure that they accomplish any mission given to them.  Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen, this is no small task to ask of a young man. I have, however, complete confidence that Shelton will go out and make his family, his country and his soldiers proud.

“I’d like to take a moment to highlight some of Shelton’s accomplishments so you can see just what good hands America’s sons and daughters will be in under his command.  He is graduating from Hofstra with a 3.88 GPA.  He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Society and the Golden Key Honor Society, the latter signifying his being in the top 10% of his class academically.  His performance as a Cadet has been equally impressive. He is a graduate of both the Airborne and Air Assault Schools.  At the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, he received an overall score of Excellent, a feat which only roughly 15% of Cadets achieve, and was ranked in the top 5 in his platoon of almost 50 Cadets.  Last year he served as the Cadet S-3, the Operations Officer for the Corps of Cadets, for the entire Hofstra ROTC Battalion. In this position he planned and provided oversight for all labs, 2 Urban Environment training events, 2 Field Training Exercises, and coordinated with several other Army ROTC Battalions to conduct the annual Joint Field Training Exercises. He is graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate and was ranked number 56 nationally out of over 5,600 Cadets assessed nationally.  That makes Shelton in the top 1% of his commissioning class.  Take a moment to think about that, ladies and gentlemen.  It is a testament to his work ethic, character, and dedication.

“Our country has already benefited enormously from Shelton’s service as an enlisted soldier and our Battalion was lucky enough to have him around to guide and mentor his fellow cadets.  Shelton exemplifies everything that is right and good about our Army and our Officer Corps. I have no doubt that he will continue to be a tremendous asset to everyone he interacts with, our Army, and our Country, wherever he may go.”

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 12,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, communication, education, health and human services, honors studies, a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

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Related Link: View Photos from Winter 2011 ROTC Commissioning Ceremony