Air Force Will Give Commissions To Most ROTC Course Graduates

The Air Force will commission most of its ROTC advanced course graduates whether or not they plan to make the Air Force their career, Chester D. Seftenberg, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, said Monday.

Seftenberg made the statement after touring the University's AFROTC facilities and conferring with President Pusey and Dean Bundy.

"Contrary to some reports," he said, "the Air Force Plans to commission most of the graduates from its advanced courses. We hope many of these men will make the Air Force their career, but this is really not obligatory."

He explained that most of these officers called would serve a tour of active duty and then return to civilian life as trained members of the Reserves.

He also tried to clear up misunderstandings about other AFROTC requirements. "You don't have to pass a physical examination to get into our basic course. You don't have to promise to fly. You enroll as you would in any course. The advanced years, however, make up a professional course, and consequently the requirements are higher."

He stressed that the aims of the AFROTC are not simply to teach students how to fly. He said that America's high position of world responsibility has made it necessary to train leaders with "a broad understanding of world problems, tensions, and resources."

"Clearly we are in the business of training junior officers for the Air Force, but just as important, we want the raw leaders of America, new in our colleges, to grasp the meaning and importance of air power in war and peace."