Last Thursday, Aug. 25, the Army ROTC hosted its annual Welcome Back Picnic at Wilson Park in Fayetteville. This year's picnic was a little bigger, being that it was the first joint picnic with the Air Force ROTC.  

Even with the temps being in the 90s, there were upwards of 100 cadets, parents, other family members and cadre present enjoying grilled hotdogs, hamburgers, volleyball, Frisbee, throwing a football, and bean bag toss, as well as getting acquainted with one another.  

The Associated Student Government's president, Connor Flocks, was present and mingling with the cadets. It was an honor and privilege to have him with us. Lt. Col. Chad Quayle recognized the achievements of the cadets from training and traveling this past summer.

The highlight of the picnic was the presence of Army ROTC's former assistant professor of military science and recruiter operations officer and current U.S. Congressman Steve Womack. Rep. Womack was a part of the Army ROTC from 1990-1996. He served in the Arkansas National Guard from the time he commissioned as a second lieutenant from the Arkansas Tech ROTC program in 1979 until he retired from the Army in 2009 at the rank of colonel, having earned many medals and serving in a 2002 deployment.

Womack talked to the Army ROTC cadets about how being a part of this program and the U.S. Army is hard, but doable. He quoted Winston Churchill as saying that everyone at one point in their life is going to be "'figuratively tapped on the shoulder to do something profound and suited to our talent'...what a terrible, terrible hardship and tragedy it would be if at that moment in time, you find yourself either unqualified or unprepared to seize what would have been your finest hour." Womack went on to say that being a part of this program could very well be preparing these young men and women for their finest hour.