Two Commissioned At Winter Ceremony

Newly-commissioned 2nd Lt. Bennett Craig receives his Bearkat Battalion plaque from Lt. Col. Alan Mooneyham.

Two Sam Houston State University seniors were commissioned as second lieutenant during the winter 2003 ceremony, held at the M.B. Etheridge Conference Room in Academic Building III.

“This is a tremendous moment for these cadets,” said recruiting officer Maj. Christopher Wooten. “Their accomplishments are a testimony to their commitment to the Army values—values that all of us in the Army strive to live our lives by.”

Cadets Bennett Craig and Felix De La Cruz, Jr., are both criminal justice majors, with minors in military science.

Craig, a native Houstonian, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1993, served in assignments in Okinawa, Japan and with the U.S. State Department on the Marine Security Guard Program at the U.S. Embassies in Madagascar and London.

At SHSU, Craig served as the ceremonies OIC.

He has received a reserve forces duty commission and is branched in the Signal Corps. He will attend his Officer Basic Course in Fort Gordon, Ga., in the near future.

The parents of newly-comissioned 2nd Lt. Felix De La Cruz pin his rank on his uniform for the first time.

De La Cruz, from Corpus Christi, enlisted in the Air Force in 1992 as a fuel specialist and was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base until 1996. During that time, he earned his black belt in tae kwan doe and participated in two space shuttle recovery missions.

At SHSU, De La Cruz served as the cadet Battalion S-4.

He has received a Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty Commission and is branched Military Police. He will be assigned to the 149th Military Police Company in the Texas Army National Guard in San Antonio and will soon attend his Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

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SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
Dec. 12, 2003
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