Cadet Whittington Wins National Honors in Army ROTC at Mississippi College

Cadet Grant Whittington of the Army ROTC program at Mississippi College

Grant Whittington is eager to begin a career as an Army officer after receiving his Mississippi College diploma in 2015.

A 21-year-old son of a U.S. Marine, the MC senior is among the standout cadets in the university’s Army ROTC program. His achievements are gaining national attention.

Following his sophomore year at Mississippi College, the ROTC program sent the kinesiology major to the Leadership Training Course at Fort, Knox, Kentucky. About 1,500 cadets across America attended the summer 2013 classes to advance their leadership skills.

Graded by U.S. Army officials, Grant finished as the nation’s No. 1 cadet. It earned him an ROTC scholarship and a contract to sign on with the Army. The Leadership Training Course, he said, was “where God truly showed me the Army was for me.”

After finishing his junior year on the Clinton campus, the Army dispatched Whittington to Airborne school this past summer at Fort Benning, Georgia. The MC student learned how to properly deploy to the battlefield by jumping from an airplane with a parachute.

“Being Airborne is a huge honor in the military and it was the most unbelievable experience in my life,” Whittington said. “Jumping out of airplanes is absolutely crazy.”

Whittington is absolutely one of the premier cadets around, Army leaders say.

Of the 150 students in the Tiger Battalion based at Jackson State University, “Grant quickly established himself as one of the best Cadets,” says Lt. Col. Travis A. Smith, chairman of the Jackson State Department of Military Science. He’s pushed by “his desire for excellence in all that he does.”

Members of the Army ROTC’s Tiger Battalion include 21 students from Mississippi College. Other cadets come from Tougaloo College, Hinds Community College, Jackson State, Millsaps, Belhaven, and Mississippi Valley State University.

The honors keep coming for Grant. He was among 20 Army ROTC cadets nationwide awarded the National Defense Transportation Association Cadet Award in 2014. Grant was recognized during ceremonies at Jackson State for the award from the Virginia-based organization.

“He is the epitome of a scholar, athlete and leader who leads by example both in and outside of the classroom,” Smith says. “He’s positive and upbeat.”

U.S. Army Captain Reginald Brownlee, who oversees MC’s Army ROTC group, echoes those sentiments. He believes Whittington has a bright future ahead in the military.

At Mississippi College, Grant hits the books with as much passion as he does his Army drills and non-stop leadership training. He sports a nearly perfect 3.9 grade point average.

Frequently moving around the USA and other parts of the globe was part of Grant’s life growing up as the son of a U.S. Marine. Grant was born in Okinawa, Japan, but eventually his parents relocated to the South. His parents, Dawn and Jessie Whittington, live in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

He’s glad he discovered Army ROTC at Mississippi College, beginning as a freshman, to learn about the science of warfare and the art of leadership. “I can’t imagine my life without ROTC.”

Enrolling more than 5,000 students, Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College was an excellent choice as well for Grant Whittington. “I chose MC because of the small college environment and the Christian-based principles the school is founded on.”

For more information about Mississippi College’s Army ROTC program, contact Captain Reginald Brownlee at 601-925-7729 or brownlee@mc.edu.