Cadets and cadres, a specialized group of trained personnel, from the UI’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps came together in celebration of a pivotal member of their program, Sharyl Grim. A recently retired secretary for the ROTC department and “ROTC Mom,” Grim was presented with the distinguished Meritorious Public Service Medal on April 8.
Grim began at the University of Iowa in Feb. 1990 and retired in February, dedicating 36 years to a career in public service.
The Meritorious Public Service Medal, established in 1969, is one of the nation’s most prestigious military decorations, given to civilians for noncombat achievements and contributions to U.S. military efforts and its troops.
“It’s pretty prestigious to get a Meritorious Service Award, even in the military,” Grim said. “So for me to get as a civilian, I’m overwhelmed.”
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Surrounded by friends, cadets, and cadres in the ROTC Department on the third floor of the Iowa Bioscience Innovation Facility, Grim was presented the award by her friend and UI alumnus, Maj. Gen. Stewart Wallace, who serves as a military adviser at the Iowa Technology Institute.
Wallace also worked as a cadet commander, visiting 70 ROTC programs around the world.
“There’s nobody that I met in those 70 visits that is as close to what we have standing right here, right here in the good old University of Iowa,” Wallace said. “She is the finest public servant that I’ve known in my lifetime. I’m glad to be able to be here today to help recognize her for her grace to her country.”
As secretary, Grim would maintain records, oversee funding sources and their use, pay bills, answer questions, and provide information about policies and procedures. Grim would also help process applications and paperwork for commissioning cadets to become lieutenants.
However, Grim said her most important job was acting as an “ROTC Mom” for the cadets. She said she would connect them with resources to help with classes and medical issues, or she would provide emotional support and advice. Grim said she would start work at 7 a.m. every day to make sure she was present for the cadets as they came in for training.
Grim said she saw generations of students pass through the university, acting as a parental figure for every cadet who went through the program. She said she enjoyed watching Hawkeyes grow and mature, and then watching them as they entered the army.
“I’ve had several former cadets that were now upper captains, majors, lieutenants, colonels, who would leave a note and call back and say, ‘Hey, I’m getting this person in my unit, I saw they graduated from Iowa, what can you tell me about them?’” Grim said. “The Hawkeyes out in the world really are taking care of Hawkeyes as they enter both the military world and the civilian world.”
She said that there were very few days when she didn’t look forward to work, and that the group of people, of hundreds of cadets throughout decades, was what made it interesting.
“Always remember you’re a Hawkeye,” Grim said to the crowd after accepting the award. “Don’t forget where you came from. The alum are there to support you, and they will. They are your family. This is your family.”