Cadets
at Montana State University make up a wide cross section of the campus
community. Cadets represent a variety of ethnic groups, religious
groups, academic majors, student organizations and clubs, and athletic
and social interests. There are cadets from military and non-military
backgrounds, urban and rural areas, and from as close as Bozeman to as
far away as Alaska and Hawaii. The diversity of cadets enhances the
AFROTC program at Montana State University. No matter what background
the cadets may have, they all work toward one common goal: to become
officers in the United States Air Force.
Detachment
450 has a long and distinguished history at MSU. With humble roots as a
course known as College Training (Aircrew) in 1943, Det 450 had its
formal beginnings in 1948 with the arrival of Lt Col John Carr (our first
Professor of Air Science). By 1952 the needs of the still-young Air
Force led to the creation of AFROTC Detachments, and on 1 August 1952
AFROTC Detachment 450 was officially activated. Det 450 has been
providing the Air Force with quality officers and pilots from the dawn
of the jet age and the first F-86 fighters through today's high-tech
F-22 fighters and advanced space platforms.
Over
the years the AFROTC program has grown from a World War II effort to
boost specialist training into a major source of Air Force officers and
pilots. Det 450 has grown with the Air Force, weathering the ups and
downs of various political and social changes that have marked the
American landscape since 1953. Through it all, the excellence of our
cadets has remained constant.
Five cadets
who have earned their commission through Det 450 have gone on to become
general officers. Two have risen to the rank of Lieutenant General (3-star),
one to the rank of Major General (2-star), and two have risen to the rank
of Brigadier General (1-star).
Historically,
Det 450 has had an impressive selection rate for pilot, navigator, and
air battle manager training. Roughly one third of commissioning cadets
are selected for one of these rated positions, and Det 450 cadets consistently
win awards for superior performance at AFROTC Field Training.
Det 450
cadets are more than just students who will go into the Air Force after
graduation. The cadets who complete the program are literally the best and
the brightest that the nation has to offer.
They have
followed in the illustrious footsteps of those who came before them to
become leaders, and they have a definitive advantage, both in the Air Force
and in life, over those who have not completed the program.
