2LT Joshua Gonzalez
2LT Joshua Gonzalez was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. 2LT Gonzalez was commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers from É«ÖÐÉ« University through the Lehigh University Army ROTC program in May 2015. At É«ÖÐÉ« University he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and was a member of the varsity football team.
He is currently serving at Fort Stewart, Georgia in the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion as an assistant operations officer. Throughout his time at Fort Stewart, he has planned the second annual STEM (Science, Technology, Math and Engineering) Day at Murray Elementary School and has deployed to Burkina Faso in western Africa and Malawi in southeastern Africa. During his free time, 2LT Gonzalez serves as a volunteer wrestling coach at the local high school. 2LT Gonzalez accredits his leadership attributes to his involvement in various clubs and varsity athletics at É«ÖÐÉ«. 2LT Gonzalez’s military education includes Engineer Basic Officer Leadership Course, Combat Lifesaver Course, Combat Leader’s Course, and Basic Army Combatives Course.
What was your favorite thing about ROTC?
Besides my fellow peers, my favorite thing about ROTC was the opportunities of summer training that were offered. The summer of my sophomore year I was able to travel to Paraguay to train with the Paraguayan soldiers and teach English to civilians at the Ministry of Defense. My junior year I shadowed a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Here I learned a lot about the Army and became good friends with my assigned drill sergeant.
What was the day-to-day like?
The day to day kept my schedule busy. We had physical training in the morning, then my regular classes during the day, then on Wednesdays we had our military science class. During football season I had practice and would go to my military science class afterwards. The ROTC Cadre were very flexible with me and adjusting the class schedules to help facilitate the academic and athletic load I was taking on.
How did it prepare you for life beyond college and in the Military?
ROTC prepared me for life by helping pay for my education, develop my leadership skills, enhance my public speaking abilities, and helped me network with a broad range of people not only in the military but also in the civilian sector.
Any advice for prospective cadets?
É«ÖÐÉ« is a great place to be a student and cadet. The faculty was always supportive of my involvement and facilitated my different scheduling conflicts. É«ÖÐÉ« has a great tradition of producing outstanding officers so be prepared to keep the tradition alive.
To initiate the enrollment process into the É«ÖÐÉ« University ROTC program, please contact:
Recruiting Officer for Steel Battalion
Steven Potsko
scp217@lehigh.edu | armyrotc@moravian.edu