Both the current and future presidents of the Association of the U.S. Army were part of a 300-person inaugural class inducted June 10 into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame at Fort Knox, Ky.

The event came as the Reserve Officers' Training Corps marks its 100th anniversary.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame was retired Army Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, AUSA’s current president and CEO. He is a 1959 ROTC graduate of Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont that is the birthplace of the Reserve Officer Training Corps.

“When I recited my oath as a cadet in Northfield, Vt., in the summer of 1955, I never realized at the time what a significant event it was to be in my life,” said Sullivan, who went on to serve 36 years in the Army and rose to become the 32nd Army chief of staff. “ROTC and the cadet experience has been a huge part of my life,” he said.

Sullivan, who has headed AUSA since 1998, is stepping down on June 30. He’ll be succeeded by retired Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, who also was inducted into the ROTC Hall of Fame and was keynote speaker at the ceremony.

“Officers commissioned through ROTC bring a depth and breadth of experiences to the ranks which make the Army stronger,” said Ham, an ROTC graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland, where he was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1976.

“Whether they serve for a few years or many, ROTC graduates make a difference across our Army, across our nation. They have done so for 100 years and will do so for another 100,” said Ham, who retired from the Army in 2013 after 38 years of service and will become AUSA’s president and CEO on July 1.

“Junior ROTC is, in my view, one of the most beneficial programs around. For a very modest commitment of resources, the return on investment is huge. JROTC students not only do better in the classroom, they become better citizens. That’s a worthy investment,” Ham said.