Michigan Minds Podcast: Discussing Veterans Day and the U-M Army ROTC
The University of Michigan Army ROTC program trains students to become second lieutenants in the US military. U-M ROTC Lieutenant Colonel Tom Church and Master Sergeant Tom Hance talk about ROTC and the cadet experience, and also to discuss what Veterans Day means to them and how the campus community can honor veterans.
Lt. Col. Church is a professor of military science with the Wolverine Battalion and the chair of the Army Officer Education Program. He graduated from U-M with a Bachelor of Arts and commissioned from the U-M ROTC program, and has since held numerous roles throughout the past 19 years. He was born in Kentwood, Michigan, which is near Grand Rapids. He is also a member of the Match-E-Be-Nash-E-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe.
M SGT Hance is the senior military science instructor for the ROTC program. In January 2023, Hance will hit 20 years active duty. Originally from New York City, he joined the military soon after the 9/11 attacks. In his role at U-M, he instructs warrior tasks and battle drills and prepares competitive cadet teams for events.