Robert Barker/University Photography

Thomas C. Reed ’56, former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, speaks at Cornell Air Force ROTC Detachment 520's annual Dining Out event in Ithaca Nov. 14.

Air Force ROTC Detachment 520 – comprising students from Cornell, Binghamton University, Elmira College, Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland – had their annual Dining Out event Nov. 14.

The event derives from traditional “dining in” events, formal dinners that bring a military unit together in an atmosphere of camaraderie and fellowship and include spouses and guests. “Dining in” has roots in English ceremonial dinner traditions and was adopted by the U.S. Air Force during World War II, when close bonds were formed between U.S. Air Force officers and their British colleagues in the Royal Air Force.

Detachment 520’s Dining Out event observed commemorative and entertaining traditions. Cadets honored fallen comrades by keeping a seat at the head table empty. Other customs included singing the official U.S. Air Force song, spoon tapping on the tables instead of hand clapping and personal poetry readings.

Addressing the cadets, Thomas C. Reed ’56, secretary of the U.S. Air Force under Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, talked about things he wished he had known when he was in the shoes of current ROTC students. “After graduation, things really change, and you assume responsibility,” Reed said. “Within six months I was dealing with a whole bunch of things I couldn’t have imagined.”

Reed, a mechanical engineering major who graduated first in his class, emphasized that ROTC students are in a unique position and lucky to be developing here at Cornell.

“You will have enormous responsibilities that your peers will not have,” he said, stressing the need to recognize that with responsibility comes a critical demand for integrity. “If you’re in a responsible position, you’ve got to think through what is right and wrong.” Reed called the Vietnam War “a disaster. It was a disaster because chiefs of services didn’t stand up to the president.”

In the case of Vietnam, Reed said, the attitude was often “‘I’ve gotta stay within the system, work within the system and work to make it better.’” However, sometimes you do have to stand up for what you believe is right, he said.

Finally, Reed encouraged ROTC students to defend their values: “Do what’s right, pay attention, and remember you’re not indispensible.”

ROTC students said they appreciated Reed’s advice. John Pedro ’17, a history and government major in the College of Arts and Sciences, said Reed’s words about the sudden increase in responsibility ROTC cadets gain after graduating were profound.

Pedro, among other students, expressed appreciation for the Dining Out event, for the opportunity to learn from accomplished individuals like Reed, and as a bonding experience. “I think it’s a critical component to not just have the seriousness of learning drills and knowledge, but also to have social events like this,” Pedro said.

Abigail Warren ’15 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.