From the Bridge

A former OSU coach was known for his philosophy of "paying forward," a laudable concept of paying others in society for those benefits that society gives you throughout you life. It is simply "paying back" but to the next generation.

All of us received the same things from our years in the NROTC: an education, a profession, an opportunity to serve our country as a military officer. But we received much more than that. We were shaped as young men and women in ways that have guided us the rest of our lives. We came to know about honor, integrity, responsibility, pride, hard work, ethical conduct, service, leadership. These values made us what we are today.

And we have paid our country back — some of us for three or four years; others of us for twenty or thirty years. We have met our commitment. But can we ever say that we have actually "paid back"? How can we ever finish paying back for those values we received as midshipmen?

"Paying back" is a part of what our Alumni Society is all about. It gives us a vehicle to return something to the NROTC program and to "the Unit" for what we received so many years ago.

We "pay back" by giving our time and our resources to enhance the Unit's ability to train today's midshipmen. We fund a scholarship each year for a midshipman selected by the Commanding Officer. We participate in Unit functions throughout the year. And we are raising an Endowment Fund through the OSU Foundation to permanently fund the scholarship and other needs of the Unit.

You can be a part of this "pay back" in several ways — by joining our Society, serving on the Board, and writing a check. Just as the values you learned as a midshipman will never leave you, you can never say that you have fully paid back .… but you can keep trying. Think about it.