Vol. 19, No. 26

April 6, 2000

Captain named top ROTC instructor in the nation

Capt. John H. Casper, military science, this week will receive the Leo A. Codd Memorial Award, given by the National Defense Industrial Association to the most outstanding commissioned officer in the United States in the rank of major or below, who is serving as an ROTC instructor on active duty. Casper was selected from candidates from 270 universities and colleges with ROTC programs across the country. Criteria for the award include creativity, imagination and teaching innovations; initiation, experiments and research concerning ROTC instruction; ability to communicate and speak before formal and informal gatherings; a friendly, enthusiastic and dynamic personality; and skill as a counselor. In his nomination of Casper, Lt. Col. Paul A. Pusecker, commanding officer of the ROTC at UD, wrote that Casper “exemplifies the complete instructor who serves as a teacher, mentor, coach, counselor and role model.” He cited the fact that since Casper’s arrival at UD in 1998, the UD ROTC has risen from 117th place to 10th place in the nation. In teaching military science, Casper uses interactive discussions, multimedia presentations, has guest lecturers and takes students on terrain walks and trips to military museums. He also spends an average of 20 hours a week counseling and mentoring. Casper also has developed combat and noncombatant situational training exercises for cadets at Advanced Camp each summer. He organized a joint fall field training exercise at Fort Dix with cadets from seven schools, and led a group of cadets to the U.S. Military Academy’s leadership conference last year at West Point. On campus, Pusecker cited Casper’s involvement with the Ranger Club, the Pershing Rifles Club and the Ranger Challenge Team, which he coaches and which finished third and fourth for the past two years out of 28 teams. A guest lecturer in high schools and an organizer of reading programs for elementary school students, Casper serves on the Newark Memorial Day parade planning committee, has organized rappelling demonstrations before basketball games and coordinated the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team visit to UD during football season. A graduate of West Virginia University and now enrolled in a master’s program in administration at Central Michigan University, at 23, Casper was a rifle platoon leader during Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm, where he was responsible for 48 soldiers in his unit. After completing the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., from 1995-1997, and his troop won the Tiger Jack Award as the most lethal unit on the battlefield. He also has received the Order of Saint Maurice medallion for conspicuous service to the infantry. –Sue Moncure