Mines Faculty Member Receives Army Patriotic Civilian Service Award for Exceptional Teaching of Military History

Dr. John Dreyer, associate professor of social science at South Dakota Mines has been presented with the Department of the Army Patriotic Civilian Service Award for his commitment to Mines' ROTC program and his exceptional teaching of military history, a required course for all ROTC cadets who intend to become commissioned officers.

Each year for the past decade, Dr. Dreyer has facilitated a trip to the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana for cadets and staff in the ROTC Rushmore Battalion. He is also recognized for this work as academic advisor helping ROTC cadets achieve academic success.

“His passion for advising coupled with his understanding of how best to navigate the difficult course loads within engineering degrees has been critical in helping cadets at Mines succeed,” says Major General John Evans, Commanding General of the US Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, KY. 

“Major General Evans had no less than 274 ROTC Battalions' monthly nominees to choose from. It goes to show how fortunate we in the Department of Military Science at Mines are to be part of this university,” says Lieutenant Colonel Richard Mendenhall, Battalion Commander, department head and professor of military science at Mines.

Colonel Jesse A. Phillips, Brigade Commander, 3rd ROTC Brigade, United States Army Cadet Command, presented Dreyer with a Patriotic Civilian Service Award lapel pin during a short ceremony at Mines on March 1.