For newly commissioned U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. August P. De Rosa, military service is a long family tradition. At his commissioning ceremony May 23, De Rosa took the officer's oath from his father, retired Air Force Lt. Col. August I. De Rosa. The younger De Rosa will soon enroll in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Others are forging less familiar paths. Second Lt. Andrew P. Richley, the first person in his family to join the military, was commissioned for active duty in the U.S. Army as part of the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C.

"I am starting a new tradition, maybe," Richley said.

De Rosa and Richley are two of the 18 members of Cornell's Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps Class of 2009 who will soon be stationed for service in such places as Fort Rucker, Ala., and Fort Hood, Texas. Family and friends gathered in Statler Auditorium to celebrate the graduates' recent accomplishments and new responsibilities.

One by one, each cadet or midshipman approached the middle of the stage, raised a right hand and repeated the oath that would seal admittance into the military's elite class of commissioned officers. Keeping with tradition, family members or friends then pinned the officer's rank, or bars, onto each shoulder.

The ceremony, simple but interwoven with formality and tradition, included the singing of "America the Beautiful" by the Glee Club, remarks from commanding officers of each ROTC unit, and, after the last oath was given, the playing of military tunes.

Cornell trustee, entrepreneur and venture capital investor Michael Zak '75 was the ceremony's guest speaker. Upon graduation from Cornell's College of Engineering, Zak served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and completed numerous Cold War deployments throughout the western Pacific and Europe.

Zak offered the new officers "six thoughts on 'If only I had known then what I know today.'" Among those thoughts: to persevere through adversity, to plunge into lifelong and meaningful friendships, to learn humbly from senior noncommissioned officers, and to be good role models for young enlisted soldiers.

During his remarks, Capt. Larry Olsen paused to remember Evan Wade, a member of Navy ROTC who was killed in a car accident in October 2008 and who would have graduated this year. His voice breaking, Olsen said to Wade's family, who attended the ceremony, "Know your son and brother will always be a member of the Class of 2009."