The Fighting Saints Battalion is the 2020 winner of the 3rd Army ROTC Brigade, MacArthur Award – a top national honor for ROTC units based on academic success, military proficiency and meeting commissioning goals.
The Fighting Saints Battalion is a combined Army ROTC program formed jointly by students from St. Cloud State University, Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.
This marks the second time in three years the Fighting Saints have earned the award, which makes them the top program in an 11-state region (made up of 41 programs, including ones at much larger schools like the University of Minnesota, Marquette and Creighton), and one of just eight programs out of 270 nationally to be so honored.
Among the metrics used to evaluate candidates for the award are a battalion’s cumulative GPA, as well as its physical fitness and training scores. The MacArthur Award is given jointly by the MacArthur Foundation in Norfolk, Virginia, and the commander of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.
“It’s kind of surreal,” said CSB senior Claudia Mahoney, a psychology major and the program’s Cadet Battalion Commander. “This is our second time getting it, and it’s a testament to the type of program we have and the quality of the cadre and Cadets we have at these schools.
“The past year has been challenging in many ways. The status quo as we know it has been changing constantly. But everyone has pulled together to make the best of the situation.”
Lt. Col. Steven Beard, a professor of military science and the head of the Fighting Saints program, said the award is a recognition of the wide range of talents the battalion’s Cadets possess.
“Our students are amazing,” he said. “They’re so well-rounded. Because these are smaller schools, our Cadets are encouraged to participate in activities like athletics, student government and others.
“A military leader has to be a jack-of-all-trades. And the qualities that make our Cadets successful in sports and in the classroom will make them successful in the military as well.”
ROTC prepares cadets to be leaders. In the first two years of the program cadets learn about the Army and do basic training and begin taking on leadership roles in small team tactical trainings. Students can participate in the first two years of ROTC without commissioning while learning about the Army and learning leadership and tactical skills.
In the third year, cadets prepare to participate in Cadet Summer Training in Fort Knox, Kentucky, while also participating in ROTC classes and physical fitness training sessions and field training exercises. In the final year, cadets are expected to know all of the ROTC skills and teach and train the events for their fellow cadets. Earning the MacArthur Award is an indication the Fighting Saints is preparing cadets well, said Justin Dixon, senior cadet and St. Cloud State hydrology major.
“It shows that we’ve been putting in the work with all the dedication we’ve put into the program and our ROTC challenges,” he said. “It’s good to be recognized for all the hard work.”
The battalion is not resting on its laurels. Instead, it continues to turn in impressive performances such as its showing at the Northern Warfare Competition held the weekend of Feb. 20-21 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
The Fighting Saints placed second out of 30 teams – a showing that means the battalion is likely to be invited to the prestigious Sandhurst International Military Skills Competition this April in West Point, New York.
Story re-printed with permission from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.
