Key Moments
Harvard ROTC Commissioning Ceremony 2026
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Key Moments
Harvard ROTC graduates are commissioned, continuing a legacy of service with nearly 40,000 alumni serving in WWI/WWII, but the event highlights the stark reality of sacrifice with a Medal of Honor recipient's story.
Key Insights
Harvard University has commissioned 19 graduating cadets and midshipmen into the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force for the class of 2026.
Over 210 officers have commissioned from Harvard's ROTC programs in the last 25 years.
The Army ROTC program at Harvard has ranked in the top five nationally for five consecutive years.
Navy seniors achieved 300% of their annual target for nuclear accessions, strengthening the fleet's pipeline of trained officers.
Air Force ROTC seniors achieved the 2022 Large Detachment of the Year award (best in the nation out of 145) and had the number one GPA nationwide.
Harvard has 37 memorials on campus dedicated to alumni who have made the ultimate sacrifice, underscoring a long history of military service and loss.
A sacred oath of service to the nation
The ceremony at Harvard University marks the commissioning of 19 graduating cadets and midshipmen into the United States Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force. The event began with an invocation and opening remarks that emphasized the profound significance of taking an oath to serve others and the republic. Chaplain Matt Pototts drew a parallel to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s question, "What are you doing for others?" highlighting that the graduates' oath is their answer. President Alan Garber acknowledged the graduates, calling them heirs to the legacies of Harvard and the U.S. military, institutions with a shared history of excellence and service spanning centuries. He noted that tens of thousands of Harvard students and alumni have served with distinction, contributing to the public good and that the country's enduring nature is a result of such efforts. The ceremony underscored that the manner in which duty is discharged is as meaningful as the duty itself, with the graduating class embodying the potential created when excellence, purpose, and service combine.
A deep historical connection between Harvard and military service
The rich history of Harvard's contribution to military service was a recurring theme. It was highlighted that 32 Minute Men at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and 22 at Bunker Hill were Harvard alumni. During the Civil War, nine Harvard graduates received the Medal of Honor. The establishment of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Harvard in 1916, during World War I, was a significant milestone, with nearly 40,000 alumni serving in World War I and II, earning four more Medals of Honor. More recently, over the past 25 years, more than 210 officers have been commissioned from Harvard. The university itself bears witness to this legacy with 37 memorials across campus dedicated to alumni who made the ultimate sacrifice, including Memorial Hall, where the ceremony took place, and the Memorial Church.
Exceptional achievements of graduating ROTC classes
The graduating classes demonstrated remarkable academic and performance achievements. The Army seniors led their brigade, encompassing over 40 programs and extending across the Northeast and Ivy Leagues, with the number one GPA and number one order of merit score. They consistently secured their preferred service components (Reserve, Guard, or Active Duty) and branches and have been ranked among the top five programs in the nation for five consecutive years. The Navy seniors exceeded expectations by reaching 300% of their annual target for nuclear accessions, ensuring a strong pipeline of highly trained officers for critical roles on submarines and aircraft carriers. The Air Force ROTC seniors were instrumental in significant achievements, including being named the 2022 Large Detachment of the Year (out of 145 nationwide) and the 2025 Northeast Region's Medium Detachment of the Year, alongside achieving the number one national average in physical fitness and the number one GPA across the country.
Honoring sacrifice and the values of leadership
Lieutenant General Rich Clark, a distinguished speaker, shared a profound story about Second Lieutenant Sherrod Skinner, a Harvard graduate who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War. Skinner, aged 22 and less than a year into his military service, sacrificed his life by jumping on a grenade to save his men. General Clark used Skinner's story to underscore three core values of leadership: integrity, humility, and excellence. Integrity involves aligning actions with morals and beliefs; humility means thinking of oneself less and lifting others; and excellence is about continuous improvement and elevating performance. General Clark also shared a personal anecdote from his own deployment in Iraq in 2008, where he admitted to a failure in leadership by prioritizing his own comfort over the needs of his team after a significant delay at an airport, later realizing the profound impact of his choice upon seeing the return of fallen soldiers. He urged the new officers to choose to lead every day, embodying these values.
The solemnity and tradition of the commissioning oath
The core of the ceremony involved the commissioning of each graduate, who recited the oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. This oath signifies their transformation from cadets to commissioned officers, agents of the executive branch. The process included individual recognition, with parents and special guests pinning the officers' new rank insignia. Each new officer also received a certificate of commission and a commemorative coin from Harvard University. The ceremony concluded with the crucial first salute, a tradition where new officers are saluted by enlisted personnel, symbolizing the new relationship and respect between officer and enlisted ranks.
A continued legacy in defense of American ideals
The ceremony concluded with a benediction and a reflection on the foundational principle of American democracy: equality and its defense. Referencing Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln, who joined the Union Army during the Civil War despite his mother's objections, the chaplain emphasized that the graduates' choice to serve is a lived expression of this equality. They are among the nation's most gifted minds, yet they have chosen service, recognizing that their promise is no more valuable than anyone else's. Their vows represent a commitment to the basic democratic principle that all people are equal and should be free, and their service places them on the front lines of defending this republic. The ceremony celebrated not just the graduates' transition into military leadership but also their dedication to the ideals that underpin American democracy.
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Common Questions
The Harvard Joint Commissioning Ceremony is an event where graduating cadets and midshipmen from Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force ROTC programs are commissioned as military officers.
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Mentioned in this video
The airport in Iraq where General Clark began his leave and faced delays, leading to a personal leadership reflection.
A building at Harvard University, inscribed with the names of Harvard sons who died in the Civil War, and the venue for the commissioning ceremony. Its image is on the commemorative coin.
A city in Iraq, which was a stopover point for General Clark's flight, where he continued to demonstrate poor leadership.
A country in the Middle East, which was another stopover point for General Clark's journey home.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserves, serving as a military intelligence officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as a cyber officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Space Force, the first from Harvard into the Space Force.
Lieutenant General (Retired) who served as the keynote speaker and administered the oath of office.
British Prime Minister, subject of the biography given as a gift to the commissionees.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as an infantry officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserves, serving as a military intelligence officer.
Commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy, serving as a meteorology and oceanography officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, serving as a contracting officer; daughter of keynote speaker Lieutenant General Richard Clark.
President of Harvard University, who delivered opening remarks and presented gifts to the commissionees.
Lieutenant Colonel and Professor of Aerospace Science at MIT Air Force ROTC, part of the official party.
Captain and Professor of Naval Science for the Boston Consortium, Navy ROTC, Old Ironsides Battalion.
Lieutenant Colonel and Professor of Military Science, Army ROTC for the Paul Revere Battalion, who introduced General Clark.
A Harvard alumnus and grandson of Paul Revere, who served as a physician in the Civil War and was killed at Antietam.
A Harvard graduate and Marine Corps artillery observer in the Korean War who died saving his men and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as a cyber electromagnetic warfare officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as an infantry officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as a medical services officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as a medical services officer.
Commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy, serving as a submarine officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, attending Harvard Law School to become a JAG officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, serving as a medical services officer.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, serving as a pilot.
16th President of the United States, who supported his son Robert Todd Lincoln's decision to serve in the Union Army.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, attending medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School on educational delay.
Commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy, serving as a submarine officer.
Eldest son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, a Harvard College graduate who sought a commission in the Union Army during the Civil War.
Commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy, serving as a student naval aviator.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, serving as an operations research analyst.
The institution hosting the commissioning ceremony, with a long history of military contributions.
The Army ROTC battalion at Harvard, whose cadets are being commissioned.
The Naval ROTC battalion at Harvard (Boston Consortium), whose midshipmen are being commissioned.
The Air Force ROTC detachment at Harvard, whose cadets are being commissioned.
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