Caleb Goodell receives ROTC award

Cadet Caleb Goodell will receive the U.S. Army Officer’s Saber at the National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Michigan Chapter awards banquet. Photo courtesy Ken Beasley.

submitted by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA)

The AUSA Arsenal of Democracy Chapter is excited to announce the 2021 recipient of the Chapter’s U.S. Army Officer’s Saber: Cadet Caleb Goodell from Western Michigan University.

Cadet Goodell is a 2021 Distinguished Military Graduate who will commission from Western Michigan University on May 1 with Cum Laude Honors — receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

Goodell has held almost every leadership position in the Western Michigan University ROTC Bronco Battalion, made the Dean’s List for the past seven semesters, and serves as the vice president of his fraternity, where he assists with their philanthropic efforts to support the Kalamazoo Special Olympics. He also participates in WMU intramural soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football. He is a graduate of Airborne and Air Assault schools, and earned the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge in Gold.

Cadet Goodell is a former member of the National Guard and will commission as an Infantry Officer and serve on Active Duty upon graduation, pursuing his goal of battalion command.

Cadet Goodell will receive the saber on Friday, April 9, at the NDIA Michigan Chapter’s annual ROTC Awards Banquet to be held at the Marriott Hotel in Troy.

Goodell is a 2017 graduate of Manchester High School. He participated in the JROTC at the Jackson Area Career Center, according to 1SG Ken Beasley, also a Manchester resident, who worked with Goodell during those years and also had words of high praise for the Cadet.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.