By MARY LYNNE O'NEAL

Staff Writer

Wyly Tower Auditorium was drenched in a sea of navy blue Jan. 5 as Louisiana Tech's Air Force ROTC, Detachment 305, swore in its wing commander through May 2005.

Brandon Wood, a senior mechanical engineering major, assumed command from former wing commander Cadet Col. Jason Woodley, a senior history major.

"It's an honor to receive this position, and I look forward to working with all of [the cadets]," Wood said.

Woodley said cadets wishing to be promoted must apply and go before the ROTC board of officials to be interviewed. Commanders are selected based on leadership and organizational skills, and must be of junior or senior class standing.

"I feel confident Cadet Col. Wood will do great," Woodley said. "We started out as freshmen together, and he shares all of the same qualities I do."

Woodley said some of the responsibilities a wing commander takes on are coordination of all the training and making sure the cadets are prepared for field training.

Col. Tom Garza, commander of Detachment 305, says the formal ceremony dates all the way back to the ancient times of Alexander the Great.

"Every leader carries a flag, and passes it on to the next leader being promoted," Garza said. "The tradition is still carried on today, as the new leader takes the flag and confirms with one simple sentence that he will take command."

Garza said he is anxious to see how Cadet Col. Wood will handle his new position and looks forward to working with him.

Special guests to the change of command ceremony were Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools Commander Brigadier General Floyd Carpenter and his wife, Melissa. Carpenter congratulated the new commander and advised the cadets to get help if they were ever struggling or having problems.

"I wish I were back in your shoes," Carpenter said. "I would give up my rank to start all over if I could." He also presented two awards to two cadets for their outstanding achievements.

Norma Chism, Technical Sergeant for Detachment 305, was selected as one of three finalists out of 142 students for the Commandant's Award at the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy at Keesler Air Force Base. She was selected as a distinguished graduate, being in the top 10 percent of her class.

Cadet Emily Sharpe, a junior political science major, was presented with a certificate for being selected for the Olmstead Cultural Immersion Program, one of the top programs ROTC has to offer. Sharpe was one of only 10 cadets nationwide to be selected to travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia this summer to study.

"It's great to be recognized for this honor," Sharpe said. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm very excited."

The next change of command ceremony will take place in May, where the new commander will take over for fall quarter of next year.