ROTC Cadet Wins National Award

BYU ROTC Army cadet Robert Root,
recipient of the 2009 Marshall Award.PROVO, Utah – Jun 9, 2009 – A Brigham Young University Army ROTC cadet won a national award and the opportunity to attend a National Security Seminar in Lexington, Va., joining top cadets from across the country at the Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University.

Robert Root, a recent political science graduate from Santa Clara, Utah, received the Marshall Award, a recognition given to the top cadet from each of the 273 Army ROTC units in the United States.

"Cadet Root has been an outstanding leader," says Lt. Col. Ted M. Leblow, professor of military science. "He always leads from the front and truly cares for all those he works with."

The award was presented at a three-day seminar where recipients learned about a broad range of national security issues through roundtable discussions with regional experts. Award winners also heard from guest speakers including Army Secretary Pete Geren and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey.

"These roundtable discussions provided me with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the United States throughout the world," Root says.

Root graduated in April and was commissioned on April 23. Now a second lieutenant, Root will begin medical school this fall at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo., after which he plans to serve as an active-duty Army physician.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.