Veterans in the CFAES Community

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Bob Joseph, an Army Reservist, and his wife, Linda

No matter who you are, you probably know a veteran.  The military and CFAES are two paths that seem to intertwine quite often.  This November, we want to honor our alumni veterans by sharing their stories.  If you are a military veteran or ROTC alum, we want to hear your story.  Please send your story and a photo if you have one to cfaesalumni@osu.edu.  We hope to share these stories on the CFAES Facebook page throughout the month of November.  

One CFAES alum and military veteran is Dr. Robert 'Bob' Joseph.  BS Horticulture 1968, MS Horticulture 1970, PhD Horticulture 1975. 

This is his story: 

"The first two years of ROTC were semi-mandatory when I entered OSU in 1964.  With a low draft number, I chose to take advanced ROTC for the service options a commission might provide.  Linda Roe Joseph’s engagement ring was purchased with a three-month stipend from ROTC.  After receiving a bachelor’s degree in food technology (’68) and a master’s degree in horticulture/food technology (’70), I served on active duty in the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Lee, Virginia, from 1970-1973 as a food procurement instructor and a food facility designer.  That was followed by a return to Ohio State on the GI Bill and a graduate assistantship to work on a PhD (’75).  Although I had no clear career military plans, I joined the Army Reserve in 1973, serving in a series of roles as the opportunities arose:

  • Transportation Company platoon leader
  • Quartermaster Company commander
  • Army Reserve School operations officer, instructor, and director of officer courses
  • Psychological Operations company propaganda officer…the most interesting assignment of all.

Lieutenant Colonel Bob Joseph circa 1971

"As a citizen soldier, family activities and civilian work responsibilities were interspersed with many evening and weekend drills and two-week annual training periods for 23 more years, until (military) retirement in 1996.  I’m proud to have served, but my (and my family’s) sacrifices pale in comparison to those of military service members and families today.  Linda and I enthusiastically support the cadets of the Buckeye Battalion through active membership in the OSU Army ROTC alumni society and an endowed cadet scholarship."

CFAES wants to continue to support our veteran community, specifically through programming at Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory.  Learn more about it here.