News

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s new Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Commander, Lt. Col. Scott Reed, plans to continue in the program’s strong tradition, as well as meet bench marks of his own. 

Reed came to SIUE in July as the professor of Military Science, replacing Lt. Col. Dave Motes, who retired. Reed’s background in the Army is long and extensive. For the ROTC commander, his love of country and service began as boy.

Reed’s father, Wayne Reed, was a career soldier. Wayne Reed retired as a staff sergeant in the Army. Reed’s brother, Mark Reed, was an enlisted sergeant with the Air Force, and his uncle, Lonnie Griffiths was also in the Army.

“I knew I was going into the military, but my father also wanted me to go to college,” Reed said. “We found out about the ROTC and that it could pay three years of my college.”

A native of New Hampshire, Reed was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant from the ROTC program at the University of New Hampshire. He recalls his first tour with the Army when he was sent to Afghanistan in 2005 and 2006 as the commander of the 69th Transportation Co.

“I had 150 soldiers under me. My job was to prepare them to defend themselves against attacks on the dangerous roads of Afghanistan,” Reed said.  “The Soldiers were superb under some of the worst conditions, from 110-degree temperatures in the summer to below freezing and three feet of snow in the winter. I was lucky to be their commander.

  “It was the best thing that happened to me in my life, other than meeting my wife and having a family,” he continued. Reed met his wife, Galia, in Europe. The couple has three children: Andrew, 8; Sophia, 6; and Isabella, 1. “After that tour of duty, I knew I would make the Army my career.”  

 Reed came to SIUE after being stationed in Kaiserslautern, (commonly known as K Town to the service members stationed there) Germany. When the Army selected him to be a Professor of Military Science, he was given the choice of six schools. Reed said he chose SIUE because of the Edwardsville School District and the proximity to Scott Air Force Base. 

During the next year, Reed has a few goals in mind for SIUE ROTC. 

“This year is the 100^th anniversary of the United States Army ROTC program across the country,” he said. “We are putting together an event to signify the anniversary and recognize the great partnership between the University and ROTC.” 

“We are part of the SIUE campus community, not a separate entity,” Reed emphasized.  “The mission of the ROTC and the University are one in the same: to grow future leaders.”

Another goal that the commander noted for this year is to commission 15 cadets as 2^nd Lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

“The SIUE ROTC program is well respected,” Reed said, “but there are some common misconceptions.”

• Joining ROTC means students are enlisting.  Participation in ROTC may lead to military service but the program creates officers not enlisted personnel. 

• Enrolling means I joined the Army. There is no obligation when enrolling in ROTC classes.  Eventually the student can decide to be an officer, and then they would need to “contract.” 

• I could go to war if I enroll in ROTC.  It is against the law to deploy cadets to combat zone. It would take an act of Congress to send pre-commissioned cadets to war. 

 “The SIUE ROTC is here to develop men and women into leaders and people of character who are prepared to take on future challenges, whether they are on the battlefield or in the boardroom.” 

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville  has been designated a 2016 Military Friendly^®School by Victory Media, the leader in successfully connecting the military and civilian worlds. SIUE attained the designation for the seventh-consecutive year. The premier Military Friendly^® Schools designation provides service members and their families with transparent, data-driven ratings about post-military education and career opportunities. The Military Friendly^® Schools designation is awarded to the top colleges, universities, community colleges and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success both in the classroom and after graduation.