JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 2, 2021) – Cadets in the Army ROTC Program at East Tennessee State University will be commissioned as second lieutenants at a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Carnegie Hotel on Friday, Dec. 10.
Col. Brent A. Clemmer, a recipient of the prestigious Silver Star, will be the guest
speaker. Clemmer, who has served throughout the world from Korea to Afghanistan, is
a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School with a master’s degree in defense analysis.
He is a recipient of the Purple Heart.
The two ETSU cadets who will be commissioned on Dec. 10 are:
Benjamin John Kyker, who held the rank of cadet captain in the Buccaneer Battalion. The son of David
and Sandy Kyker of Jonesborough, Kyker has earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal
justice and criminology. After completing the Military Intelligence Officer Basic
Course, Kyker will be assigned to the 117th Military Police Battalion in Athens, Tennessee.
Dalton James Piercy, who held the rank of cadet captain and also served as battalion chaplain in the
Buccaneer Battalion. The son of Jamey and Kimberly Piercy of Asheville, North Carolina,
Piercy has earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. Following graduation,
he plans to continue his career in the Army Reserves as an adjutant general officer
while pursuing a Master of Divinity at Western Seminary.
Sitting across from the main campus of ETSU, the Carnegie Hotel is located at 1216
W. State of Franklin Road.
The Army ROTC unit at ETSU, first assigned to what was then East Tennessee State College
in the 1950s, has commissioned more than 1,500 second lieutenants. To learn more about
ROTC at ETSU, visit etsu.edu/cbat/rotc.