Mountaineer Alumni— Another outstanding year for the Mountaineer Battalion—App State ROTC!!
Army ROTC continues to rank among the Nation’s premier ROTC programs. Thanks to you, our Alumni, who continue to support our Cadets and the future of our Army’s officers!
This semester, our Mountain Man teams excelled once again, finishing first in the female division and 2nd overall in the male division. Our Ranger Challenge team placed 4th overall while competing against the Senior Military Colleges, and our Commandos completed a demanding bivouac in East Tennessee, culminating with four tabs awarded.
Individually, CDT Lemos brought home the National Pershing Rifles CDR’s Award, CDT Lynch won the individual knockout competition, and CDT Cannon distinguished himself as one of only eight Cadets in the Brigade selected for the George C. Marshall Leadership Award. We concluded the semester with Distinguished Alumnus LTG(Ret) Bob Ashley commissioning twelve Cadets to Second Lieutenant.
This semester served as the pilot for the Mountaineer Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) program, integrating strength & conditioning coaches, nutritionists, and a sports psychologist to increase our Cadets’ overall performance. At the end of the semester, thanks to the college, we opened our H2F Recovery Room.
As we begin summer, 22 Cadets will attend Cadet Summer Training (CST) Advanced Camp, ready to test their leadership and tactics Nationally.
Mountaineer Commissioning Ceremony
Twelve Mountaineers commissioned on May 7th in Grandview Ballroom, with Chancellor Norris introducing the Cadets and Distinguished Alumnus LTG(Ret) Bob Ashley swearing them in. The newly commissioned officers celebrated the day by running up Howard’s Knob before the ceremony. See the University’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoauLiDrl6E
Pershing Rifles
The National Pershing Rifles awarded Cadet Chloe Lemos (MSIV) the National CDR’s Award during NATCON. During the competition, Cadet Aiden Lynch (MSIII) took 1st place in the individual knockout competition.
George C. Marshall
Cadet Jake Cannon was selected for the George C. Marshall Leadership Award; he was the #1 of 8 selected in the Brigade’s 43 programs. CDT Cannon attended the Marshall conference at VMI. See the full story here: https://today.appstate.edu/2026/04/30/cannon
Mountain Man Memorial March
Our male full marathon teams took second and fourth overall. Our full marathon female team had an impressively strong finish! With a delayed Ranger Challenge competition, the teams performed remarkably and held the Mountaineer reputation of grit! App State also had 15x individual competitors, with the PMS winning the individual full marathon.
Ranger Challenge 2026
The Mountaineers’ Ranger Challenge team took 4th place out of 44 teams in the Brigade and with Senior Military Colleges. The two–day competition included pistol marksmanship, grenade throwing, reconnaissance, combat-focused workouts, and ruck movements over 12 miles.
Dining Out 2026
The Mountaineer Dining Out on March 20th brought camaraderie and an opportunity for alumnus MAJ Sean Callahan to share his leadership thoughts and advice to the Cadets. The Dining Out also marked the final event and retirement of SFC Andrew Browne, MSIII Instructor.
Commando Bivouac & Qualification Course
The Appalachian Commandos conducted their annual bivouac in February in East Tennessee, culminating with four members ascending Howard’s Knob on Sunday morning to earn the coveted Commando Tab. The Commandos moved over 25 miles in the two-day bivouac, conducting multiple attacks and ambushes culminating on South Holston Lake.
Mountaineer Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F)
We launched the Mountaineer Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) pilot in January and saw outstanding success. The program brings together five coaches from across App State — two strength & conditioning, two nutritionists, and a sports psychologist. Our coaches developed workouts, instructed proper lifting form, integrated performance fueling, and our sports psychologist led training on visualization, down regulation, and focus. We also opened a performance recovery room featuring a Sleep/Stress Reduction Chair, Normatec Legs machine, and other recovery tools.
Farewell Cadre
Big transition this spring as we farewelled three instructors: CPT Sam Snelson, SFC Andrew Browne, and SSG Steven Jones. CPT Snelson, MSIII instructor, departed for US Space Command in Colorado Springs. SFC Browne officially retired from the Army in March, and SSG Jones departed for recruiting school this summer. All three made a lasting impact on the program and will be greatly missed.
Next August, we will welcome two new Cadre: Alumnus CPT Brian Wilson (class of 2017) and SFC Michael Holzer. Brian is coming from Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg. SFC Holzer is coming from Drill Sergeant duty at Fort Leonard Wood.
Stay Involved — Heroes Day 2026 and more!
Stay involved with the Mountaineer Battalion. Join us for Heroes Week in November, culminating with the Heroes Day Tailgate and Game on November 7th, 2026. For more information, stay tuned to the Battalion’s socials!
CALL TO ACTION— We’re looking for recent alum (3-6 years) to mentor our future Lieutenants —reach out to the PMS (LTC Jones) if you’re interested! We’re looking for 1-1 mentors for our MSIVs (seniors) and in -person opportunities to talk to the senior class or for formal events.
Stay Connected
Thank you for your continued support to the Mountaineer Battalion. Let DJ Weatherford (weatherforddj@appstate.edu)or LTC Zach Jones (joneszw@appstate.edu) know if you’re visiting App State! Stay in touch through our website (link) or follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @AppROTC and #AppStateROTC.
--LTC Zach Jones
Spring 26 newsletter
Spring 26 newsletter