Battalion News
February 2025
January 2025
Battle Study Hawaii
MIDN 1/C of the Trojan Battalion (plus MIDN from Cal State Westwood) flew to Hawaii for a battle study, where they spent time exploring different aspects of Naval history. They had the opportunity to visit COMSUBPAC, the USS ARIZONA Memorial, USS MISSOURI, and other Pearl Harbor sites. Prominent Hawaiian battles, such as the Battle of Nu’uanu in 1795, the final major battle in King Kamehameha I’s unification of the Hawaiian Islands, were explored. Between hiking scenic trails and climbing up Diamond Head, our midshipmen explored the natural beauty that Hawaii offers. The weekend was topped off with well-deserved time at the beach and a barbecue. Alumni participating included Jerry Vieau ’68, Bob Bennett ’79, and Steve Van Horn ’79.
December 2024
USC NROTC commissioned six Ensigns on 19 December. Visit the COMMISSIONING page for pictures and more info.
Visit the AWARDS page to see the recipients of the Alumni League Scholarships for the Fall 2024 semester.
Trojan Battalion Change of Command ceremony
The Fall 2024 Battalion Commander, MIDN 1/C Hollis Paradis ’24, hands off leadership of the Trojan Battalion to MIDN 1/C Hunter Brophy ’25 for the Spring 2025 semester.
Three USC midshipmen traveled to Washington, DC for their nuclear propulsion program interviews at Naval Reactors. MIDN 1/C Marisol Ruiz ’24, MIDN 1/C Kaisa Liljenwall ’24, and MIDN 1/C David Rozo ’24 were required to demonstrate knowledge gained through study sessions with Submarine Officer Instructor Lieutenant Peri and underwent a long day of technical interviews and the all important Admiral interview. All passed with flying colors!
Upon commissioning every Ensign selected for Submarine Warfare attends one year of advanced nuclear power training, starting with six months of classroom training at Nuclear Power School (NPS) in Charleston, S.C. After NPS, they will have six months of practical, hands-on training at one of the Navy’s two shore-based reactor training facilities (NPTU) in upstate New York or Charleston, South Carolina. Next comes the Submarine Officer Basic Course (SOBC), a 12-week course of instruction located in Groton, CT. There prospective submariners learn all about submarine operations, including safety, damage control, seamanship and sonar systems along with the responsibilities of leading an advanced submarine crew as a division officer before reporting to an assigned submarine.
November 2024
October 2024
Service Selection Day
The Class of 2025 received their service assignments this week. Starting with the midshipman’s preferences, these assignments are based on specific Department of the Navy requirements and consider both a midshipman’s aptitude and preference for a particular specialty. Midshipmen who will commission in the Spring as Surface Warfare Officers select their first ships during the annual NROTC Ship Selection Day, typically held in February. Below is the breakdown for our current MIDN 1/C cohort by warfare specialty:
- Aviation: 9
- Navy EOD: 1
- Marine Corps: 2
- Special Warfare: 1
- SWO: 0
- SWO Nuke (SEAL option): 1
- Submarine: 5
September 2024
VADM Rob Gaucher, COMSUBFOR, met recently with USC MIDN 1/C who had applied for submarine or Surface Nuke warfare specialties. The meeting took place at the UCLA NROTC offices.
LT Jack Tribolet, the unit’s aviation office instructor, was announced as a winner in the 2024 CNO Naval History Essay Contest sponsored by the Naval History and Heritage Command. LT Tribolet placed third in the Rising Historian category for his essay, “Mapping the Messaging of Midway: Navigating Navalism in the 21st Century.”
LT Tribolet won a cash prize and a trip to Annapolis in October for breakfast with the CNO, ADM Franchetti, and the other essay contest winners.
Welcome Class of 2028 - August 2024
35 new students were sworn in before classes started in August. The new MIDN 4/C include 28 Navy (27 mids and 1 enlisted officer candidate) and 7 Marines (4 mids and 3 MECEPS). Welcome to all!
Change of Command - July 2024
Spring 2024 Awards Ceremony
The Alumni League BOD adopted a Midshipman Battalion proposal to expand our annual office sword award program. The following seniors were recognized for their superior performance based on criteria set by the Unit and Battalion staffs.
- Parker Sword: MIDN 1/C Blake Harrison
- Surface Warfare Officer Sword: MIDN 1/C William Durban
- Submarine Officer Sword: MIDN 1/C Grant Addington
- Student Naval Aviator Sword: MIDN 1/C Max Jenson
- Marine Officer Sword: MIDN 1/C Sean Katzmannand
- Trojan Sword: MIDN 1/C Karl Kammereck
Battalion Newsletter
