LUCOM graduates commissioned into military medicine

When graduates of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine don their hoods during the school’s graduation ceremony on Thursday evening, they will be ushered into careers in medicine that will take them wherever the Lord leads. For 16 members of LUCOM’s Class of 2025, that place will be dictated by the United States military as they enter residencies with others who have sworn to serve their country.

On Wednesday afternoon, 14 of these students participated in a private ceremony in an auditorium at the Center for Medical and Health Sciences, where they took their respective oaths and were commissioned into active service before an audience of their family and friends. As recipients of the Health Professions Scholarship Program for Armed Forces, all 16 students were financially supported in medical school in return for a commitment to provide healthcare services for the military upon graduation. Each graduate — five Army, five Air Force, and four Navy — was pinned with the grade of 0-3 (lieutenant in the Navy and captain in the Army and Air Force) by their loved ones.

The Army oath was administered by Lt. Col. Dr. Mark Rolfs, associate professor of family medicine and sports medicine. Rolfs joined the Army National Guard during his first year of medical school at Virginia Tech in 2008 and has been deployed twice. He gave a brief message to all the students participating in the ceremony.

“You have accomplished much in the last four years at LUCOM, and we are proud of you,” he said. “You represent the finest of the Class of 2025 because of your dedication to serve in the United States military and preserve the freedom of this great country.”

The oath for the Air Force was administered by U.S. Air Force Chaplain Col. (Ret.) Dr. Steven Keith, director of Liberty’s Center for Chaplaincy. Rear Admiral Tony Cothron, associate professor of government and the director of Liberty’s national security and intelligence programs, administered the oath of the Navy.

Liberty President Dondi E. Costin addressed the commissioned students. Costin is a retired Major General with 36 years of service in a military career that culminated as a senior leader in the Pentagon, where he served as the 18th Air Force Chief of Chaplains.

“Military ceremonies are my favorite because of what is represented by these young men and women raising their right hands and taking an oath,” he said. “I’ve come simply to say thank you; thank you for being willing to do something that very few are willing to do. The best part about the oath is it’s a prayer; it begins with your first name, which you state, and it ends with the words ‘so help me God.’ Thank you in advance for everything that you have done and will do on behalf of a very grateful nation. We are proud of you.”

Each graduate was given a LUCOM challenge coin, mirroring a tradition in the military. The medallion-like tokens, often adorned with an emblem or insignia of the presenting organization, serve as symbols of membership, belonging, and camaraderie and a tangible reminder of the appreciation and respect of one’s peers.

Liberty recognized all of its military-affiliated graduates in the Class of 2025 during a Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony on Thursday morning in the Thomas Road Baptist Church Worship Center. The Class of 2025 has over 7,000 graduates with connections to the military, include active duty and spouses.