On 3 May 2019, the Fighting Saints Battalion held their 67th annual Military Ball at the College of St. Benedict. This was a night for all cadets and cadre to set aside their OCP’s and boots for their ASU’s and enjoy a night of good food, company of friends and family, and dancing.
The guest speaker for this year was Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Katie J. Blue who is an alumnus of the FSB graduating in 1998 from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Signal Corps.
LTC Blue talked about her accomplishments throughout her extensive career in the Army (including having survived being a towed jumper during an airborne jump) and outlined the keys to success for a young officer just starting their careers. All cadets took away key insights into being a good officer and how to find success in an Army career. This information was very valuable for the younger cadets who will commission in a few years as well as for the seniors who will commission in a few weeks.
Another big part of the night was recognizing senior Cadet Marvin Heimer for being the fifth nationally ranked cadet in the nation for 2019 out of some 5,500 cadets. Cadet Heimer will commission as a Field Artillery Officer with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics. As well as being ranked fifth nationally, Cadet Heimer was the number one cadet out of all Field Artillery Officers commissioning in 2019.
The different special teams who won their respective competitions throughout the year were also recognized during Military Ball. The five-person ranger challenge team was recognized for winning the Task-Force and Brigade ranger challenges in the fall at Camp Ripley and Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. The Army Bataan elite team was recognized for winning the marathon this spring in the mountains of White Sands, New Mexico. Additionally, the Northern Warfare team was recognized for winning their 22-mile competition through the snow bluffs La Crosse Wisconsin this winter.
Finally, the whole battalion was recognized for their contribution in winning the 2018 MacArthur Award. The MacArthur Award is given to the best ROTC Battalion in the Brigade. The Fighting Saints Battalion was the best ROTC program in Third Brigade and one of the top eight programs in the Nation. This is a huge accomplishment for the program, and it was directly due to the hard work of the cadets throughout the year.
This military ball was a good time for cadets to enjoy their accomplishments, learn how a formal Military Ball works, and gain knowledge on their future careers in the Army from LTC Blue.