Major Jared Crain is the new head of the Army ROTC at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Commissioned upon his graduation from West Point, Crain previously served five combat tours of duty. He’s been to Iraq four times since 2003 and to Afghanistan once.
As the head of Department of Military Science and Leadership, Crain will teach military science classes and lead ROTC students in training exercises and fitness regimens that prepare them to be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army upon graduation.
This fall, UT’s Army ROTC program is welcoming its largest freshman class, with about fifty students expected. That will bring the ROTC enrollment to about 100. Fifteen students are expected to be commissioned at the end of this academic year.
Crain said the program has a high attrition rate, but that’s expected.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to see what the military is about and see if they want to do it,” he said, adding that students can be in ROTC for four semesters without making a commitment to the Army.
Crain has a bachelor’s degree in German from West Point. He also has an MBA from Florida State University. Born into a military family in Clarksville, he has lived in Germany and about 20 different places around the U.S., including Hawaii, where he was stationed for four years. He is married and has two children.
—
C O N T A C T:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)