Nathan Swire ’11, a government major with a concentration in international relations and a minor in Arabic, was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army at the 2011 Dartmouth ROTC Commissioning Ceremony held June 11. Swire will spend three years as an infantry officer before serving in the Army’s military intelligence branch.

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Nathan Swire ’11 is pictured with Dartmouth trustees and presidents at the 2011 Dartmouth ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, which took place on June 11 at the Dartmouth Outing Club house on Occom Pond. From left: Trustee R. Bradford Evans ’64, President Jim Yong Kim, Swire, President Emeritus James Wright, Trustee Peter M. Robinson ’79, and Trustee John B. Replogle ’88. (photo by Tom McNeill)

Colonel Richard Outzen ’89, currently a foreign area officer in the Middle East, delivered remarks, as did President Jim Yong Kim. Outzen, who has served the Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, and on the Israel and Lebanon border, advised Swire: “This is a profession of human relationship and learning above all else, so pay great attention to those you would lead and those you would serve.”

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Colonel Richard Outzen ’89 speaks at the Dartmouth ROTC Commissioning Ceremony on June 11, 2011. Outzen said that he was dressed informally because he arrived in time for the ceremony, but his uniform—sent on another flight—did not. (photo by Tom McNeill) See inset picture for Outzen in uniform. (photo by Zach Ingbretsen ’11)

A history major at Dartmouth, Outzen said, “We sustain today a rich and venerable tradition of Dartmouth providing leaders who greatly influence the Army and the nation. It is in keeping with the august and excellent traditions of Dartmouth to provide fresh thinking, passionate leadership, and a healthy dose of ‘outsider’ thinking inside the officer corps of the U.S. military services.”

President Kim said of Swire, “His training, combined with a liberal arts education is rare, and therefore his leadership is even more needed by the world.”