Having praise and recognition showered upon her is not something with which Melissa Roush is all that comfortable.
The Pittsburg State University senior and ROTC cadet admits to feeling a bit “awkward” when people talk about her. If she continues on her current path of success, however, that’s just something she’ll have to get used to.
Roush, a Louisburg native, was among more than 40 ROTC cadets honored Thursday night during the ROTC Spring Banquet. She’ll deny that she stands out more than others, but her personal achievements beg to differ. Among her awards are some of the top honors a cadet can receive: the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross and the 2009 Pallas Athene Award.
The Bronze Cross is awarded to the top cadets in the nation. According to PSU, Roush ranks 26th out of 4,703 cadets nationwide. Roush earned her top ranking last summer while at the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Leadership Development Camp at Fort Lewis, Wash. She was awarded for her high grades, physical fitness tests and extracurricular involvement.
According to PSU ROTC Capt. George Johnson, Roush is believed to be the first PSU ROTC cadet to receive the Bronze Cross Award. Not bad for a 22-year-old biology major who joined the ROTC program only after she saw how it benefited her brother, Bradley Roush, who was in ROTC for four years and is finishing a captain career course at Fort Leonard Wood before going into the Special Forces.
“To be honest, I am very humbled by things like this,” Roush said. “I don’t see exactly what other people see, but I think it’s amazing that they see that in me.”
Because the Bronze Cross Award is so rare, the military typically requests that it be presented to the recipient by a Medal of Honor recipient. However, because those too are rare these days, the award was presented by Col. Ron Seglie, a Pittsburg physician, ROTC Hall of Fame member and the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
“There are only about 200 still alive in the U.S.,” Johnson said of Medal of Honor recipients, according to a PSU press release. “It’s easier to find generals than it is Medal of Honor recipients.”
Along with the Bronze Cross, Roush also recently received the Pallas Athene Award from the Women’s Army Corp Veterans Association, an honor given annually to a select group of female cadets in the U.S.
As PSU’s Battalion Commander, Roush oversees more than 80 cadets. She said her time in the ROTC, while not changing her personality, has shaped her attitude toward life.
“I think it has really changed the person I’ve become quite a bit,” she said. “When I first joined, I knew I’d be in the military, but I didn’t know it would become such a huge part of who I am. It has really defined me. I’ve always been kind of goofy and like to laugh, but being in the ROTC has also challenged me a lot and helped me develop my drive a little bit more.”
Roush will graduate from PSU in May, at which time she will be commissioned as a second lieutenant. With a near-perfect GPA, according to PSU, she will begin medical school at the University of Kansas. She has been granted an educational delay by the U.S. Army, which will allow her to put off active duty requirements until she completes her three-year residency.
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Having praise and recognition showered upon her is not something with which Melissa Roush is all that comfortable.
The Pittsburg State University senior and ROTC cadet admits to feeling a bit “awkward” when people talk about her. If she continues on her current path of success, however, that’s just something she’ll have to get used to.
Roush, a Louisburg native, was among more than 40 ROTC cadets honored Thursday night during the ROTC Spring Banquet. She’ll deny that she stands out more than others, but her personal achievements beg to differ. Among her awards are some of the top honors a cadet can receive: the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross and the 2009 Pallas Athene Award.
The Bronze Cross is awarded to the top cadets in the nation. According to PSU, Roush ranks 26th out of 4,703 cadets nationwide. Roush earned her top ranking last summer while at the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Leadership Development Camp at Fort Lewis, Wash. She was awarded for her high grades, physical fitness tests and extracurricular involvement.
According to PSU ROTC Capt. George Johnson, Roush is believed to be the first PSU ROTC cadet to receive the Bronze Cross Award. Not bad for a 22-year-old biology major who joined the ROTC program only after she saw how it benefited her brother, Bradley Roush, who was in ROTC for four years and is finishing a captain career course at Fort Leonard Wood before going into the Special Forces.
“To be honest, I am very humbled by things like this,” Roush said. “I don’t see exactly what other people see, but I think it’s amazing that they see that in me.”
Because the Bronze Cross Award is so rare, the military typically requests that it be presented to the recipient by a Medal of Honor recipient. However, because those too are rare these days, the award was presented by Col. Ron Seglie, a Pittsburg physician, ROTC Hall of Fame member and the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
“There are only about 200 still alive in the U.S.,” Johnson said of Medal of Honor recipients, according to a PSU press release. “It’s easier to find generals than it is Medal of Honor recipients.”
Along with the Bronze Cross, Roush also recently received the Pallas Athene Award from the Women’s Army Corp Veterans Association, an honor given annually to a select group of female cadets in the U.S.
As PSU’s Battalion Commander, Roush oversees more than 80 cadets. She said her time in the ROTC, while not changing her personality, has shaped her attitude toward life.
“I think it has really changed the person I’ve become quite a bit,” she said. “When I first joined, I knew I’d be in the military, but I didn’t know it would become such a huge part of who I am. It has really defined me. I’ve always been kind of goofy and like to laugh, but being in the ROTC has also challenged me a lot and helped me develop my drive a little bit more.”
Roush will graduate from PSU in May, at which time she will be commissioned as a second lieutenant. With a near-perfect GPA, according to PSU, she will begin medical school at the University of Kansas. She has been granted an educational delay by the U.S. Army, which will allow her to put off active duty requirements until she completes her three-year residency.
