Cardinal Battalion Army ROTC cadets lined up in Army uniform, accompanied by dates in cocktail dresses and tuxedos Friday evening at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.
Cadets planned and presented the annual ROTC "Dining Out" ceremony to more than a dozen tables of fellow cadets, Army officers and their companions in Cardinal Hall.
A group of Army officers formed into a receiving line, where they lined up and shook hands with all the cadets and ushered them into the banquet hall.
Capt. Joshua Caroll of Indiana Wesleyan University said the event, called a "dining out," allows ROTC cadets a chance to become acclimated to social functions with military traditions.
"Dining out" is one of the most formal social events in the ROTC, he said.
Col. James L. Baker said the cadet-run "dining out" dinner is part of the leadership portion of the program. Cardinal Battalion hosts the event once a year, Baker said.
"When they get out in the real world, they're going to be involved," he said. "They need to know basic orchestration, how to conduct themselves in social settings."
Before the meal, cadets had an opportunity to stand up and make a toast to the United States, President George W. Bush and the Cardinal Battalion.
Maj. Kelly Rosenberger, the program's featured speaker, shared lessons he learned from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006. Quoting Psalms and Napoleon Bonaparte, he told the banquet's audience members to place more importance on their fellow soldiers' welfare than their own and to spread a message of hope.
"What I hope they got the most is that the things I learned in ROTC, that they continue and follow you through your career," he said.
Rosenberger did not delve into specifics about his experiences in Iraq, but he said the overall issues of family and faith on the battlefield are what cadets should take with them.
"What I learned the most is what things I took for granted," he said. "I learned how important family is, faith in God."
Not all of Rosenberger's anecdotes had serious tones; he also recalled a more lighthearted situation. During his seven months stationed in Iraq, Rosenberger said he was deprived of one of his favorite luxuries - fountain soda.
"All they had was canned soda, and that's just not the same," he said. "I couldn't drink any fountain soda until we got to Kuwait."
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