St. John’s University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program has undergone a leadership change, with Lt. Col. Matthew Pride and retired Maj. Marvin Turner taking over the 57-year-old Red Storm Battalion earlier this year. The transition was marked by the traditional “passing of the guidon” ceremony in late summer, introducing the new leaders to the battalion’s 60 cadets. Lt. Col. Pride and Maj. Turner replace Lt. Col. William Brown, who was reassigned as part of routine Army rotations.
“St. John’s is a homecoming for me in a way, being a native New Yorker,” said Lt. Col. Pride, a West Point graduate, at a student veterans event in September. “Wearing the uniform has given me perspective, an ability to see the world and educate myself in other cultures, and social mobility. That is what I hope it offers members of this battalion.”
Founded in 1968, the Red Storm Battalion is recognized as one of the Army’s most distinguished and diverse ROTC units, drawing students from local areas like Flushing, NY, as well as from farther afield—including cadets such as Yechao Li, whose family left Hangzhou, China due to religious persecution.
The ROTC program at St. John’s prepares students for service as Army officers while they pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees at the university through military science coursework, leadership labs, and field training exercises. Cadets are required to maintain specific academic standards—at least a 2.5 GPA (3.0 for scholarship recipients)—and participate in regular physical training sessions three times weekly along with semester fitness tests.
Upon completing their studies and ROTC requirements, cadets are commissioned as Second Lieutenants into either active-duty Army roles or positions within the Army Reserve or National Guard; contracted cadets commit to a minimum period of service following graduation.
Eligibility for joining includes both students without prior military experience and those who have served previously and were honorably discharged if they are within commissioning age limits (typically up to age 30). “That is what makes this battalion unique,” said senior Bethany Tsang of Flushing, NY. “There are several cadets who have prior service experience who come into the battalion and eventually become leaders and help shape the future of the Army.”
Yechao Li is among those with prior military experience after his family sought asylum from China’s crackdown on Christian communities more than ten years ago before settling in South Carolina and later moving to Queens in 2019. After high school graduation from Francis Lewis High School—and a year spent training as an Army medic—he enrolled at St. John’s University and joined its ROTC program.
Initially granted temporary asylum status in 2018 before receiving permanent residency—and now U.S citizenship—Li explained his motivation: “The United States granted us a safe haven,” he said. “Serving in the Army is a way for me to return that and help the country. My parents have always taught me that I should not take things for granted.”
In addition to his role with Red Storm Battalion, Li participates in St. John’s President’s Society—the highest undergraduate honor—and leads Bible study at Queens Christian Alliance Church while working part-time with the Army’s 340th Military Police Company at Fort Totten.
Bethany Tsang also graduated from Francis Lewis High School before enlisting in the Army Reserve and enrolling at St. John’s University where she studies homeland security—a major she hopes will lead her into an intelligence analyst position after serving in military intelligence.
She serves as public affairs representative for Red Storm Battalion and holds executive board membership with both Homeland Security Association and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus.
“I am so glad St. John’s offers a homeland security major and that I might one day be able to use it in an intelligence analyst job,” Tsang said.“I love the service opportunities St. John’s offers as well.”
