{"id":124220,"date":"2020-06-03T15:59:42","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T21:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=124220"},"modified":"2020-08-27T11:26:25","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T17:26:25","slug":"uccs-father-and-son-duo-celebrate-graduation-wedding-and-army-commissioning-all-in-five-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=124220","title":{"rendered":"UCCS father and son duo celebrate graduation, wedding and Army commissioning, all in five days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Greg Krems, business manager, offers his son Noah Krems ’20 a first handshake and salute as a commissioned U.S. Army second lieutenant.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One week this May brought a triple-whammy of festivities for UCCS father and son duo Greg Krems, business manager for the Office of Information Technology, and Noah Krems \u201920. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two celebrated Noah\u2019s graduation from UCCS with a degree in criminal justice and minor in military science, his commissioning into the U.S. Army and marriage to fellow UCCS graduate Jessica Battin \u201920 \u2013 all in the space of five days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNoah proposed to Jessica a year ago, and they decided on the date: May 20, 2020,\u201d the senior Krems explained. \u201cHe knew we would have a ton of family in town because of his birthday and Commencement on the 15th<\/sup>, his commissioning ceremony on the 16th<\/sup> and the wedding on the 20th<\/sup>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Noah and Jessica Battin ’20 married four days after graduating from UCCS, and just a day after Noah was commissioned into the Army.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With social distancing guidelines in place, the festivities\nlooked a little different than originally planned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Krems and Battin families celebrated Noah and Jessica\u2019s\ngraduations \u2013 cum laude and magna cum laude, respectively \u2013 during UCCS\u2019\nfirst-ever virtual Commencement ceremony. Their wedding, which was held in\nBlack Forest, took place in-person and was also livestreamed over Facebook to\ncomply with social distancing guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one celebration was even better than they could have\nimagined: Noah\u2019s commissioning ceremony, in which he was sworn into service as\na second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah was among numerous cadets in the UCCS Army Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Corps (ROTC) scheduled to be commissioned virtually into the military on May 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a stroke of inspiration, Noah realized that the\nhelicopter hangar used by his reserve unit on Fort Carson could easily accommodate\na socially-distanced ceremony \u2013 and that his family could be an essential part\nof the celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Noah and Jessica pose for a photo on the UCCS campus after Noah is commissioned into the U.S. Army.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In a traditional commissioning ceremony, cadets stand near an American flag. A commissioned officer reads the U.S. Armed Forces oath of office, which the cadet swears to uphold, and a family member or friend pins the gold second lieutenant bars to their shoulders. Finally, the new second lieutenant receives their first salute from an enlisted soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To complete Noah\u2019s commissioning, Greg asked a family friend, retired four-star General Stephen Lorenz, to read the commissioning oath. Noah\u2019s mother Denise and now-wife Jessica pinned the lieutenant bars to his uniform. And Greg, himself a retired member of the Air Force who spent 23 years on active duty, offered his son the traditional first salute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was super emotional,\u201d Greg said. \u201cFirst of all, for\nGeneral Lorenz to read the commissioning oath to Noah \u2013 he is the utmost\nexample of someone whose footsteps I\u2019d want my son to follow. It was a changing\nof the guard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greg continued, \u201cWhen I went up to salute him, he turned to\nface me, and it was a gut-check. I\u2019ve seen this kid\u2019s eyes for 20 years \u2013 I\u2019ve\nseen him fall off a bike, I know when he\u2019s hurting, and I knew what he was\nfeeling then. I salute him, he salutes me. He\u2019s trembling, I\u2019m trembling. And I\njust gave him a big hug. It was powerful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Retired United States Air Force four-star general Stephen Lorenz reads the U.S. Armed Forces oath of enlistment to second lieutenant Krems.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Now that he has graduated, Noah will attend medical training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, followed by two years of helicopter pilot training in Fort Rucker, Alabama. With a bachelor\u2019s degree in microbiology and MCAT results under her belt, Jessica is now applying to medical school. She aims to become a commissioned medical officer in the Army. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greg is simply proud of all that his son accomplished \u2013 and all\nthat he will go on to accomplish over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a proud dad,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is how it\u2019s supposed to be: you raise your kids, they do right by you, they choose to serve their country, and they\u2019re so excited about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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