Army ROTC cadets from around the country hold their collective breath every September, as they await news of the release of the national Order of Merit List. This year Cortezs Dacren Walker, an Army ROTC cadet from Colorado State University at Pueblo, learned he is ranked second in the prestigious top 10, out of more than 5,600 cadets nationwide, according to a written statement from the U.S. Army.
The OML ranks all Army ROTC seniors across the nation, with the top 20 percent earning the designation of Distinguished Military Graduate. This year there are 1,129 Distinguished Military Graduates.
A cadets positioning on the OML determines his or her priority in being chosen for the limited number of active duty positions, and increases his or her chance at getting the branch of occupational specialty of choice.
Cadets are ranked on the Order of Merit List by achieving superior grade point averages, strong athletic performance in the Army physical fitness test and college athletic participation, proving their worth as exceptional leaders in their college ROTC training, and their performance at the Leader Development and Assessment Course at Joint Base Lewis-McChord outside Tacoma, Wash.
Walker, a graduate of Montezuma-Cortez High School, is the son of Clint and Gale Walker of Cortez.