Next summer we will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and I’m both impressed with and proud of the many accomplished and superior leaders we have commissioned for all of the Army components.Not only has ROTC been a source of excellence over the past century, but I’m confident the program will continue to adapt and evolve to produce the best leaders for life, for the nation and for the Army in an ever-changing military and world landscape.It’s been a long, remarkable road from the humble beginnings of ROTC to the great program we have today.We’re going to celebrate this anniversary with a series of events and commemorations culminating in a special dedication at Fort Knox, Ky., and I’d like to invite all our alumni to get involved.ROTC’s rich history began when Rep. Justin Morrill of Vermont introduced legislation which became known as the Land Grant College Act of 1861.The proposed act gave every state 30,000 acres of public land to be used in establishing and sustaining at least one agricultural and industrial college in each state.The bill stipulated that instruction in military tactics had to be included in the curriculum of these institutions.President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law July 2, 1862.The ROTC program was officially organized when President Wilson signed the National Defense Act of 1916.Although military training had been taking place in civilian colleges and universities as early as 1819 – notably at places like Norwich University and state military colleges like Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel – the signing of the 1916 National Defense Act brought this training under a single, federally-controlled entity: the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.Since then, ROTC has continually grown and evolved to meet the nation’s demand for quality junior leaders. The act also established Junior ROTC, which has grown into a stellar citizenship program for approximately 300,000 high school students in 1,700 schools across the nation.During World War I, the ROTC program grew to encompass 220 colleges and universities by 1940.From August 1940 to December 1941, more than 80,000 organized Reserve Corps officers, with most being ROTC graduates, answered the call to active duty.In 1964, the government established financial assistance in the form of college scholarships to attract the most talented young people possible to the program.ROTC was later opened to women in the fall of 1973 to bring diversity to the cadet corps.Up until 1973, only men were allowed into the ROTC program. The first female cadets were commissioned in 1976.Today, women constitute 20 percent of the Corps of Cadets and more than 15 percent of each commissioning cohort.In April 1986, the U.S. Army Cadet Command was formed.With its headquarters at Fort Monroe, Va., Cadet Command assumed responsibility for more than 400 senior Army ROTC units, four regional headquarters, and Army Junior ROTC with programs in more than 800 high schools.Cadet Command transformed ROTC from a decentralized organization, turning out a group of junior officers with varying degrees of expertise, into a centralized command producing lieutenants of utmost and consistent quality.One of the more recent development in ROTC training focuses on the challenges of today’s global environment, which requires our junior leaders to be ready to deploy and lead soldiers on battlefields around the world.They must be adaptive leaders, agile thinkers able to thrive and lead in the uncertain environments that our Army and our nation will face in the future.In 2010, we began the Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency Program, allowing cadets to spend their summers across the globe performing various humanitarian missions and training with their host nation’s military in Asia, South America and Europe.Each summer more than 900 cadets have deployed to as many as 38 countries. As these cadets commission, they bring those cross-cultural experiences and learned competencies with them into our force.Army ROTC has a total of 275 programs located at colleges and universities throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico with an enrollment of more than 35,000.The program produces over 70 percent of the second lieutenants who join the active Army, the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.We can’t celebrate the history of college military leadership programs without recognizing Gen. George C. Marshall, an alumnus of the Virginia Military Institute.During his nearly 50-year career, General Marshall served in a multitude of positions as an officer and a statesman, to include the third Secretary of Defense, the 15th Chief of Staff of the Army, and the 50th Secretary of State.Many of the leadership principles General Marshall embodied – candor, commitment, courage, integrity and selflessness – are the key traits instilled today in all ROTC cadets.We continue to regard General Marshall as the model for the citizen-soldier-statesman we want to produce.Another notable ROTC alumnus is former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who is being awarded AUSA’s George C. Marshall Medal for his selfless service to the nation.Before joining the Department of Defense, Mr. Panetta served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and several other positions of distinction in the government.He is an alumnus of the Bronco Battalion at Santa Clara University in California. After he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a law degree, Mr. Panetta went on to serve in the Army as an Army intelligence officer from 1964 to 1966.With the experience he gained as both an ROTC cadet and an officer in the Army, he was able to apply his skills to other high-profile government positions – culminating in serving as the Secretary of Defense.Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell is yet another notable ROTC graduate and Junior ROTC cadet.He attended City College of New York, and it was there that he began his military service by joining ROTC.After his graduation in 1958, Powell was commissioned a second lieutenant and went on to serve 35 years in the Army. In 1989, he was promoted to the rank of general, and was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.After retirement he went on to serve his community by founding America’s Promise, an organization which helps at-risk children.We also include among our alumni: Wal-Mart founder Samuel Moore "Sam" Walton (University of Missouri); Supreme Court Justice Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. (Princeton University); basketball hall of famer Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens (Providence College); Black Enterprise Magazine publisher Earl Gilbert Graves Sr. (Morgan State University); space shuttle astronaut Nancy Sherlock Currie (The Ohio State University); and football coach, announcer and motivational speaker Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz (Kent State University).While those are notable people, we’re just as proud of each of the legions of leaders this program has produced for America over the years, and we intend to keep producing America’s leaders.I’m proud of the history of ROTC, and of being one small part of a program that will continue to turn out some of the best led, best trained and best equipped corps of men and women who will use their professional training in management, discipline and leadership as a solid foundation for a successful military or civilian career.Leaders for Life!