Military instruction has existed at MIT from its very first classes in 1865. Established in 1917, MIT's ROTC program was the first in the nation. Today the ROTC tradition continues at MIT. In this video, dated June 5 2009, GEN David H. Petraeus administers the oath of office at the annual commissioning ceremony for MIT. Among the cadets, GEN Petraeus’ son Stephen was commissioned into the Army after graduating from MIT.

Video production funded in part by the Council for the Arts at MIT through a grant to Dr. Violeta Ivanova. For more information, see Fresh Docs collection on TechTV.