THE commissioning ceremony of Franklin Babauta Jr., a graduate of the University of Guam’s Reserve Officer Training Corps, was held on Tuesday evening, Dec. 17 at Kensington Hotel.
Babauta, now a second lieutenant, graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree on Dec. 15, but requested that his formal commissioning ceremony be held on Saipan, where he was born and raised.
Babauta is the son of Franklin Babauta Sr., the governor’s special assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and Saipan Sen. Celina R. Babauta.
He attended elementary school at Mount Carmel School before relocating to Hawaii and then Guam.
At the ceremony, his father, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Guam Army National Guard, and his sister, Francine Babauta, a captain in the U.S. Army, pinned his officer rank on him. His sister, Kolina Babauta, then placed his cap on his head.
Babauta Sr. also read out his son’s oath of commissioned officer.
Babauta Jr.’s first salute was given by his cousin, Joshua Roberto, a sergeant in the Guam Army National Guard.
In his remarks, Lt. Col. Neil G. Armstrong, UOG professor of military science, said Franklin Jr. had “that ‘It’ factor.”
“If past performance is any measure of future potential, then Franklin, you’re going to do very well in the army,” Armstrong said. “Some people are just born into a leadership position. They’ve got this magnetic pull about them. It’s impossible to escape its effect…that describes Franklin very well.”
In her remarks, Sen. Celina R. Babauta reflected on her son’s growth. “You were a baby, and then I closed my eyes for a moment. In the blink of an eye, a man suddenly stands where my baby once was,” she said, fighting back tears.
She told Franklin Jr. that graduating from college and obtaining an officer’s rank “is what the view from the top feels like.”
“Relish this feeling for a moment, taking into account your struggles to get to tonight…and then move on and continue doing great things in your life,” she said.
The senator and mother of four said that she kept the rosary that Franklin Jr. used during basic training. The rosary is made from 550 paracord and ranger beads.
“550 cord is often used in survival situations,” she said. “Let the chord always remind you of the strength and endurance of your faith. Ranger beads are used in the military for land navigation purposes…. Each bead represents about 100 meters when they’re trying to find their way out of the jungle. Let it remind you to pace yourself in your journey. And just as there are many beads on that rosary, the road that leads you to God’s kingdom is long, focused and arduous.”
Franklin Jr. said it was “amazing” that his “patience has paid off” and that his family and friends on Saipan could be together for the special occasion of his commissioning. He will be pursuing an active-duty station in the States.
Franklin Babauta Jr. stands at attention as his father, Franklin Babauta Sr., left, and sister, Francine Babauta, right, pin his officer rank on him. His sister, Kolina Babauta, far right, waits to place his cap on his head. His mother, Sen. Celina Babauta, is in the background.
Sgt. Joshua Roberto, left, is ready to give Franklin Babauta Jr. his first solute as an officer.
Sgt. Joshua Roberto salutes 2nd Lt. Franklin Babauta Jr.
Franklin Babauta Sr., right, reads the oath of a commissioned officer to his son.
From left, Francine Babauta, Kolina Babauta, Franklin Babauta Jr., Sen. Celina Babauta, and Franklin Babauta Sr., the governor’s special assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
